What is inside `assetlinks.json`?

It is a JSON array of statements. Each statement identifies a relation and a target, such as an Android package with the signing certificate fingerprint used to verify that app.

Does Google Association Service follow robots.txt?

this bot marks it as compliant. A specific allow for the statement file can preserve verification while disallowing other paths for the same token.

Does Digital Asset Links itself open links in an app?

No. The protocol exposes a verifiable statement. Android or another statement consumer checks it and then decides whether to perform the declared action.

What happens if I block the association service?

Checks may be unable to confirm the website's declared relationship. Features that depend on that verification, such as verified app links, can then fail to activate as intended.

Does this verification affect AI search or training?

No documented connection exists. The request checks a Digital Asset Links statement and does not crawl ordinary page content for search or model use.

Google Association Service Bot Guide

What is Google Association Service?

Google Association Service checks Digital Asset Links statements that connect a website with an app or another website. For a web principal, the statement list lives at /.well-known/assetlinks.json, a fixed public URL under that site's control.

The JSON file names a relation and its target. An Android app can use such a statement to prove that the site permits the app to handle its links, while other consumers can check relationships used for credential or settings sharing. The protocol only verifies the statement; the consuming app or service decides what action follows.

A request is tied to an association check, such as verification prompted by an app install or configuration, rather than discovery of normal site pages. The recorded HTTP identity begins with GoogleAssociationService/. If the service cannot retrieve a valid statement file, it cannot confirm the relationship through that request.

Digital Asset Links verification is separate from Google Search crawling and from controls such as Google-Extended. Nothing in the source material says Google Association Service indexes page content, grounds AI answers, or supplies model-training data.

Not relevant for AI search

Is Google Association Service relevant for AI search?

No. Google Association Service is not part of AI search or training, so allowing or blocking it does not change your AI visibility.

Google Association Service fetches specific files to verify something you configured, such as domain control. These are small, targeted requests that have no role in search rankings or AI answers.

How to handle Google Association Service

If your site declares Digital Asset Links, keep /.well-known/assetlinks.json public and return the intended JSON from the exact host being associated. You can limit this recorded crawler token to that file:

User-agent: GoogleAssociationService
Allow: /.well-known/assetlinks.json
Disallow: /

The bot record marks Google Association Service as respecting robots.txt. Google's Digital Asset Links guidance also recommends allowing automated clients to retrieve the /.well-known/ metadata. After changing a rule, test the association itself because a blocked or unreachable statement file defeats the verification workflow.

Examples

A user installs an Android app configured for verified web links. Google Association Service requests the site's `assetlinks.json` file so the declared package and certificate relationship can be checked.
A team moves `assetlinks.json` to an ordinary `/assets/` directory. Verification fails because Digital Asset Links requires the statement list at `/.well-known/assetlinks.json`, so the team restores the fixed path.

Frequently asked questions about Google Association Service

Learn about AI visibility monitoring and how Promptwatch helps your brand succeed in AI search.

For a website's Digital Asset Links statement list, the required location is `https://your-host/.well-known/assetlinks.json`. A file at another path does not represent that host's official statement list.

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