What is the difference between PerplexityBot and Perplexity-User?

PerplexityBot is an indexing crawler that visits pages to surface them in Perplexity's search results and generally respects robots.txt. Perplexity-User is invoked in real time when a user submits a URL or question directly to Perplexity, and since it acts on an explicit user request, it typically does not follow robots.txt.

Can I block Perplexity via robots.txt?

You can block PerplexityBot with `User-agent: PerplexityBot` followed by `Disallow: /`. Perplexity-User, however, is a real-time, user-triggered fetch that generally ignores robots.txt. Verifying both the User-Agent string and Perplexity's published IP ranges adds protection against spoofing.

How does Perplexity decide what to cite?

According to Perplexity's Sonar API documentation, answers are generated from search results ranked through hybrid lexical-and-semantic scoring plus re-ranking; results include date and last_updated fields, so recency factors into ranking. Accuracy and clear sourcing appear to help, but the exact ranking algorithm is not publicly disclosed.

How can I get my content cited by Perplexity?

Perplexity runs two distinct mechanisms: PerplexityBot, an indexing crawler that respects robots.txt, and Perplexity-User, a real-time agent that fetches pages when a user asks. Allowing PerplexityBot and publishing accurate, up-to-date content improves your odds of being cited.

Updated 2026-07-07

Frequently asked questions

How can I get my content cited by Perplexity?: Perplexity operates PerplexityBot, an indexing crawler recommended to allow via robots.txt, separately from Perplexity-User, a real-time agent triggered by user queries. Publishing accurate, current content with clear sourcing improves the likelihood of citation, though it is not guaranteed.
What is the difference between PerplexityBot and Perplexity-User?: PerplexityBot is an indexing crawler that visits pages to surface them in Perplexity's search results and generally respects robots.txt. Perplexity-User is invoked in real time when a user submits a URL or question directly to Perplexity, and since it acts on an explicit user request, it typically does not follow robots.txt.
Can I block Perplexity via robots.txt?: You can block PerplexityBot with `User-agent: PerplexityBot` followed by `Disallow: /`. Perplexity-User, however, is a real-time, user-triggered fetch that generally ignores robots.txt. Verifying both the User-Agent string and Perplexity's published IP ranges adds protection against spoofing.
How does Perplexity decide what to cite?: According to Perplexity's Sonar API documentation, answers are generated from search results ranked through hybrid lexical-and-semantic scoring plus re-ranking; results include date and last_updated fields, so recency factors into ranking. Accuracy and clear sourcing appear to help, but the exact ranking algorithm is not publicly disclosed.