DuckAssistBot
Powers DuckAssist. DuckDuckGo states the data is never used to train AI models, and opting out takes 72 hours.
Reference reviewed by Sona
| Operator | DuckDuckGo |
|---|---|
| Powers | DuckAssist AI-generated answers |
| Purpose | Search & answers |
| User-agent token | DuckAssistBot |
| Respects robots.txt | Yes |
DuckAssistBot gathers real-time content for DuckAssist, the AI-generated answer feature inside DuckDuckGo. DuckDuckGo's help documentation is unusually direct about the limits of what it does: "This data is not used in any way to train AI models."
The opt-out documentation is equally specific, and specificity is rare enough here to be worth relying on. DuckDuckGo commits to a defined 72-hour window for a robots.txt change to take effect, states that opting out does not affect organic search rankings or inclusion, and publishes a contact address - [email protected] - for publishers whose opt-out is not working. No other operator in this directory offers all three.
Verification is well provisioned too: DuckDuckGo publishes both a list of over 300 crawler IP addresses and a JSON feed at duckduckgo.com/duckassistbot.json for programmatic checking.
Note that DuckDuckGo's traditional search results draw substantially on the Bing index, while DuckAssist runs on this separate crawler. So blocking Bingbot and blocking DuckAssistBot have different effects, and neither implies the other - a distinction worth getting right if your goal is a specific DuckDuckGo posture.
How DuckAssistBot behaves
- Fetches in real time to answer queries, so traffic follows user demand rather than a crawl schedule.
- DuckDuckGo states the collected data is never used to train AI models.
- Opt-outs are documented to take effect within 72 hours - an explicit SLA most operators do not give.
- Blocking it does not affect organic search rankings or inclusion in DuckDuckGo results.
Full user-agent string
DuckAssistBot/1.2; (+http://duckduckgo.com/duckassistbot.html)
Allow DuckAssistBot
Your content can be summarized and cited in DuckAssist answers, with DuckDuckGo stating it is never used for model training.
User-agent: DuckAssistBot Allow: /
Block DuckAssistBot
You prefer not to appear in DuckDuckGo's AI answers - and the opt-out is documented to take effect within 72 hours without touching your rankings.
User-agent: DuckAssistBot Disallow: /
How to verify DuckAssistBot
Published IP range feed
DuckDuckGo publishes a JSON feed at duckduckgo.com/duckassistbot.json plus a human-readable list of more than 300 crawler addresses, so both automated and manual checks are supported. Reverse DNS under duckduckgo.com applies as well. This is among the better-provisioned verification stories on the list, and DuckDuckGo also staffs [email protected] for publishers who see traffic they cannot account for.
Documented reverse-DNS suffixes: .duckduckgo.com
Commonly confused with DuckAssistBot
DuckDuckGo's traditional results lean on the Bing index, but DuckAssist runs on this separate crawler. Blocking one does not block the other.
Both are answer-engine crawlers that state they do not train foundation models, making them among the easier allows for training-averse publishers.
DuckAssistBot FAQs
Is my content used to train AI models if I allow DuckAssistBot?
No. DuckDuckGo's documentation states that this data is not used in any way to train AI models. It is fetched to generate DuckAssist answers.
How long does a DuckAssistBot opt-out take?
DuckDuckGo documents a 72-hour window for a robots.txt change to take effect, and provides [email protected] for publishers whose opt-out is not working. That level of specificity is unusual among AI crawler operators.
Will blocking DuckAssistBot hurt my DuckDuckGo rankings?
No. DuckDuckGo states that opting out does not impact organic search rankings or inclusion in search results. The AI answer feature and traditional search are separate.
Do I need to block Bingbot too?
Only if you want out of DuckDuckGo's traditional results as well, since those draw substantially on the Bing index. DuckAssist itself runs on DuckAssistBot, so the two decisions are independent.
Can DuckAssistBot read your page right now?
Test any URL and see exactly what AI crawlers receive.