Safe Google Bots

Google-NotebookLM

Operated by Google

Quick Facts

User-Agent:
Google-NotebookLM
Category:
Google Bots
Operator:
Google
Safety:
Safe
Blocking Impact:
Low - No SEO ranking impact
SEO Impact Score:
3/10
Official docs:
developers.google.com

What is Google-NotebookLM?

Google-NotebookLM is a deprecated Google user-agent that fetched a web page when someone added it as a research source. It is not the same crawler as the current fetcher token, which has its own profile in this directory, so a rule written for one does not cover the other. This token may still appear in older log files.

Google-NotebookLM is a deprecated Google user-agent that fetched a web page when someone added it as a research source. It is not the same crawler as the current fetcher token, which has its own profile in this directory, so a rule written for one does not cover the other. This token may still appear in older log files. Google-NotebookLM identifies itself with the user-agent token Google-NotebookLM. You can control it with a User-agent: Google-NotebookLM group in robots.txt. Robots.txt is voluntary, so for hard enforcement combine it with server-level blocking.

What happens if you block Google-NotebookLM?

✅ Blocking Google-NotebookLM has no effect on search rankings, because it does not index anything. It only prevented a page a user had added as a research source from being fetched. This exact token is deprecated, so a rule for it affects little beyond historical log entries. Note that the currently active fetcher uses a different token and needs its own rule.
Safe to allow. The token is deprecated and rarely seen now.

How to control Google-NotebookLM with robots.txt

<code>User-agent: Google-NotebookLM</code> - Matching is case-insensitive. Robots.txt is fetched from the root of each subdomain separately.

Block completely (robots.txt)
User-agent: Google-NotebookLM Disallow: /
Allow all (robots.txt)
User-agent: Google-NotebookLM Allow: /
Block private only (robots.txt)
User-agent: Google-NotebookLM Disallow: /private/ Disallow: /api/ Disallow: /admin/ Allow: /
Nginx server block
# Nginx: Block Google-NotebookLM if ($http_user_agent ~* "Google-NotebookLM") { return 403 "Bot blocked"; }
Apache .htaccess
# Apache: Block Google-NotebookLM SetEnvIfNoCase User-Agent "Google-NotebookLM" bad_bot Order Allow,Deny Allow from all Deny from env=bad_bot
Meta robots tag
<meta name="robots" content="noindex, nofollow">
X-Robots-Tag header
X-Robots-Tag: noindex, nofollow

Is Google-NotebookLM safe to allow?

Yes, Google-NotebookLM is a **safe and legitimate** crawler. It is operated by Google and documented publicly, and it identifies itself honestly with the token Google-NotebookLM. Safe to allow. The token is deprecated and rarely seen now.
Verify by reverse-DNS: genuine Google fetchers resolve to googlebot.com, google.com or googleusercontent.com. Confirm the forward lookup matches the original IP.

What does Google-NotebookLM do?

Understanding what Google-NotebookLM is for helps you decide whether to allow or block it.

  • Fetched a page a user added as a research source
  • Superseded by a different, currently active Google fetcher token
  • May still appear in historical server logs
  • Visits on user request, not on a crawl schedule
  • Respects robots.txt directives

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the user-agent string for Google-NotebookLM?
Google-NotebookLM uses the token Google-NotebookLM. Match it case-insensitively in robots.txt and in any server-level rule.
Is Google-NotebookLM safe?
Yes. Google-NotebookLM is operated by Google and is documented publicly. Google-NotebookLM is a deprecated Google user-agent that fetched a web page when someone added it as a research source. It is not the same crawler as the current fetcher token, which has its own profile in this directory, so a rule written for one does not cover the other. This token may still appear in older log files.
Will blocking Google-NotebookLM hurt my SEO?
Blocking Google-NotebookLM has no effect on search rankings, because it does not index anything. It only prevented a page a user had added as a research source from being fetched. This exact token is deprecated, so a rule for it affects little beyond historical log entries. Note that the currently active fetcher uses a different token and needs its own rule.
How do I block Google-NotebookLM in robots.txt?
Add these lines to /robots.txt: 
User-agent: Google-NotebookLM
Disallow: /
To restrict only part of your site, disallow specific paths and allow the rest.

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