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Squarespace robots.txt, AI crawler toggle, sitemap and llms.txt

Squarespace runs one robots.txt for all sites and does not let you edit it. You influence it through Settings > Crawlers, which has a Block known artificial intelligence crawlers checkbox (off by default) and a search engine block. The sitemap at /sitemap.xml is automatic, version 7.1 sites can publish an llms.txt from the SEO/AI Visibility panel, and structured data is generated for you and cannot be edited.

Edit robots.txt
PartlyNot editable: all Squarespace sites share one robots.txt. Settings > Crawlers adds AI crawler or search engine blocks to it.
XML sitemap
YesCreated and updated automatically, usually within an hour. Not available on trial sites or parking pages. /sitemap.xml
llms.txt
YesVersion 7.1 sites: SEO/AI Visibility panel > SEO Settings > LLMS.txt tab. Disabled until you add text.
AI crawlers
Settings > Crawlers > Block known artificial intelligence crawlers. Unchecked by default; when checked it adds robots.txt requests for 26 named bots including GPTBot, ClaudeBot, Google-Extended, Applebot-Extended, CCBot and Meta-ExternalAgent. Site-wide only.
Structured data
Automatic structured data for blog posts, events, local business, organization, products and website, which you can't edit or remove. Extra JSON-LD can go in code injection.

Squarespace robots.txt: one shared file

Squarespace states it plainly: all Squarespace sites use the same robots.txt, and users can't access or edit it. The shared file keeps crawlers out of /config/ (the admin login), /api/, /search and URL parameters for author, tag, month, view and format pages that only reorganize content found elsewhere. You can read the full list at squarespace.com/robots.txt, and your own site serves the same rules at yourdomain.com/robots.txt.

That means the usual advice to "add a Disallow line" does not apply. You get two switches instead, both in Settings > Crawlers:

  • Block Search engine crawlers adds Disallow: / so search engines stop indexing the site. Leave it off on a live site.
  • Block known artificial intelligence crawlers adds requests asking a list of AI bots not to crawl.

To keep a single page out of search, Squarespace points you to a noindex tag through code injection, not robots.txt.

The AI crawler checkbox

The AI option is unchecked by default. Squarespace says it does that so sites stay open to AI chat answers, which can send traffic. Ticking it adds 26 named user agents to your robots.txt, including GPTBot, ClaudeBot, Google-Extended, Applebot-Extended, CCBot, Meta-ExternalAgent, Amazonbot and DuckAssistBot.

Read that list closely. Some entries are training crawlers, but DuckAssistBot fetches pages for DuckDuckGo's cited AI answers and, per DuckDuckGo, is not used for training, so the box is broader than "don't train on me". It is all-or-nothing: you cannot block one bot or one page, and it does not remove anything already collected. Notice also what is not on the list, such as OAI-SearchBot and PerplexityBot. Run your domain through the robots.txt checker after changing it to see exactly who is allowed.

Squarespace sitemap

Squarespace generates /sitemap.xml and updates it as you publish, usually within an hour and at most 24 hours. It includes pages in dropdowns and index page content, and leaves out password-protected, hidden-from-search and disabled pages. The homepage gets priority 1.00, other pages 0.75 and blog posts 0.50. A private or trial site has no sitemap. Submit sitemap.xml in Google Search Console after verifying the site; a "Couldn't fetch" status for the first day or two is normal, according to Squarespace.

llms.txt and structured data

On version 7.1, open the SEO/AI Visibility panel, go to SEO Settings and choose the LLMS.txt tab. The file is disabled until you add text, and Delete then Save turns it off again. Squarespace gives no writing guidance and points to the llmstxt.org format, so draft it yourself and test it with the llms.txt checker.

Structured data is automatic: Squarespace generates blog post, event, local business, organization, product and website schema that you cannot edit or remove. If you add your own JSON-LD through code injection, avoid repeating a type Squarespace already outputs, or you will publish two conflicting descriptions of the same business. See schema markup for what each type does.

Check your Squarespace site

Paste your domain to see which AI crawlers your live robots.txt lets in.

robots.txt checker

Test your robots.txt against every AI crawler

robots.txt generator

Preset
robots.txt
# robots.txt generated with https://www.getpicked.app/tools/robots-txt-checker
# Preset: Allow AI search, block training

User-agent: *
Allow: /

# Model training crawlers
User-agent: GPTBot
User-agent: ClaudeBot
User-agent: Google-Extended
User-agent: Applebot-Extended
User-agent: Meta-ExternalAgent
User-agent: Amazonbot
User-agent: CCBot
User-agent: Bytespider
Disallow: /

Questions

Can I edit robots.txt on Squarespace?
No. Squarespace says all its sites use the same robots.txt file and users can't access or edit it. The only changes you can make are the two checkboxes under Settings > Crawlers: block search engine crawlers, and block known AI crawlers.
Should I tick Block known artificial intelligence crawlers?
Only if keeping content out of AI training matters more than appearing in AI answers. The list mixes training bots with bots that power AI assistants, and Squarespace itself says excluding your site may reduce traffic from AI chat answers and sources. You cannot choose individual bots or pages.
Where is my Squarespace sitemap?
At /sitemap.xml on your domain. Squarespace builds and updates it automatically, so there is nothing to create. It leaves out password-protected pages, pages hidden from search and disabled pages, and it does not exist on trial sites.
Does Squarespace support llms.txt?
Yes on version 7.1. Open the SEO/AI Visibility panel, go to SEO Settings and the LLMS.txt tab, and paste your text. The file stays disabled until you add text. Squarespace offers no template, so you write it yourself.

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Sources

Checked against these pages on 2026-10-19. Operators change their crawlers; check the source before relying on a detail.