What is IRLbot?
IRLbot is an uncategorized agent. You can set up Agent Analytics to see when IRLbot visits your website.
Overview
| Source | Official Website |
| Expected To Follow Robots.txt | Yes |
| Insights Last Updated | September 14, 2026 |
Do you operate this agent? Contact us to suggest an update.
Category
Expected Behavior
IRLbot does not yet have an established behavior profile. Look for patterns in Agent Analytics: steady, considerate crawling may indicate an unannounced index, while fast, deep sweeps suggest scraping. Its user-agent string and IP addresses may offer the best clues to who operates it.
IRLbot's User Agent
| User Agent | IRLbot/3.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; http://irl.cs.tamu.edu/crawler) |
How To Block IRLbot With Robots.txt
Add this rule to your robots.txt file to block IRLbot from accessing your website, or use Automatic Robots.txt to block all uncategorized agents at once. You can customize which pages are blocked by swapping out / for a different path.
User-agent: IRLbot # https://knownagents.com/agents/irlbot
Disallow: /Insights for IRLbot
As of September 14, 2026, this data reflects agent visits measured across thousands of websites using Agent Analytics, combined with daily scans of the top 1000 websites and their robots.txt files.
Robots.txt Blocked Percentage
Country of Origin
Robots.txt Blocking Trend
7% of top websites block IRLbot in their robots.txts.
Overall Uncategorized Traffic
0.8% of all web traffic came from uncategorized agents.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I Block IRLbot?
Monitor it before deciding. IRLbot has not been categorized, so there is no established behavior profile to rely on. Review which pages it requests and how often, then block it if the traffic is excessive or targets content you would not share with an unknown bot. For context, 7% of the top websites we track currently have robots.txt rules for IRLbot.
Does IRLbot Follow Robots.txt Rules?
Yes. IRLbot is expected to follow robots.txt rules, so a disallow rule is the appropriate first step. Automatic Robots.txt can add and maintain that rule, while Agent Analytics lets you verify whether IRLbot respects it.
Does IRLbot Access Private Content?
Unknown. IRLbot has no established scope, so monitor what it requests. Repeated attempts to reach login or admin paths are a reason to investigate or block it.
How Can I Tell if IRLbot Is Visiting My Website?
Agent Analytics tracks IRLbot visits in real time. You can also check your server logs for requests whose user-agent string contains "IRLbot". Record the paths it requests and how often because no reliable behavior profile exists yet. Because IRLbot does not publish a verification method, any client can claim its identity and a log match is only a clue.
Why Is IRLbot Visiting My Website?
IRLbot's purpose has not yet been identified. Until it is categorized or its operator explains it, its behavior on your site is the best evidence of its intent.