Which robots token should I use for Google Videos?

Use `Googlebot-Video` for a video-specific rule. Google also lists `Googlebot` as a matching token, so broader Googlebot rules can affect this crawler.

Does Googlebot Video respect robots.txt?

Google documents it as a common crawler that obeys robots.txt during automatic crawls. Cloudflare's bot directory marks this entry false and the local metadata is unknown, so confirm behavior in your own logs after a policy change.

Will blocking Googlebot Video remove the containing page?

A rule limited to video resources controls access to those resources. It is not, on its own, a directive to remove the containing HTML page from general Google Search.

Does Googlebot Video collect AI training data?

No model-training purpose is documented for this identity. A request shows video-search crawling, not that Google used the asset or its transcript to train a model.

How do I authenticate a Googlebot Video request?

After matching `Googlebot-Video/1.0`, use Google's common-crawler IP file or its reverse and forward DNS verification steps. There is no HTTP signature URL in this bot.

Google Videos: AI Crawler Guide & robots.txt

What is Google Videos?

Google Videos crawls video content for Google's video search features. A publisher that exposes playable videos and their public resources may see this bot as Google evaluates those assets for video-related results. The crawler is product specific, rather than a replacement name for every Googlebot request.

Its compact HTTP user agent is Googlebot-Video/1.0. Google's common crawler list recognizes two robots tokens for it: Googlebot-Video and the broader Googlebot. A site can write a video-specific group, while an existing Googlebot disallow rule may also govern the request.

The operator says preferences for Googlebot-Video affect video-related Google Search features and other products that depend on videos. If a media URL cannot be fetched, Google has less access to that asset for those surfaces. A restriction aimed only at the video crawler is not the same as removing the page that embeds the video from ordinary web search.

Video indexing and AI training are separate questions. This user agent has no documented role in collecting model-training data, and its presence is not proof that a video or transcript was used by Gemini. The supported claim is limited to Google video search and products dependent on video content.

Official and directory data disagree about robots behavior. Promptwatch leaves the field unset and Cloudflare's bot directory records followsRobotsTxt as false. Google places Googlebot Video among common crawlers, says automatic common crawls obey robots.txt, and publishes a specific example for the token. Site owners can use that documented control while retaining an enforced boundary for private media.

Google's common crawlers can be checked against its published IP ranges or with forward-confirmed reverse DNS under googlebot.com. The source facts do not mark this bot as IP verified and provide no signature-agent URL. Verify origin before bypassing rate limits or firewall rules for a request that merely claims Googlebot-Video/1.0.

Relevant for AI search

Is Google Videos relevant for AI search?

Yes. Google Videos collects pages for an AI product, so what it can crawl influences how AI systems describe your brand.

Google Videos feeds a search index that also powers that engine's AI answer features and overviews. One crawl can serve a classic results page and a generated summary, so blocking it costs you both the rankings you would expect and a growing share of AI answers built on the same index.

How to handle Google Videos

Let Googlebot Video reach media that is meant to appear in public Google video features. Keep paid, private, or pre-release files behind authorization because robots.txt cannot make a URL confidential. When the media is served from another hostname, set the crawl policy on that host too.

To request a complete stop for this token, use:

User-agent: Googlebot-Video
Disallow: /

Google documents support for this group, despite the conflicting Cloudflare flag. Check subsequent requests and video search results after changing it. If the concern is abusive traffic rather than indexing, verify the source and apply rate or access controls at the media server.

Examples

A broadcaster allows trailers for released programs but keeps advance screeners behind authentication.
A course platform blocks Googlebot Video from paid lesson files without blocking the public course description from general search.
An operations team verifies the source of a burst labeled `Googlebot-Video/1.0` before changing its media rate limits.

Frequently asked questions about Google Videos

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

Google says its crawl preferences affect video-related Google Search features and other Google products that depend on videos.

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