Google-NotebookLM
Deprecated. Google now identifies Notebook source fetches as Google-GeminiNotebook - set rules for both.
Reference reviewed by Sona
This token is deprecated or superseded. Read the detail below before relying on a rule that names it - it may no longer match live traffic.
| Operator | |
|---|---|
| Powers | NotebookLM source imports |
| Purpose | User-triggered fetch |
| User-agent token | Google-NotebookLM |
| Respects robots.txt | No (user-triggered) |
Google-NotebookLM fired when a NotebookLM user added your URL as a source, fetching the page so their workspace could summarize and answer questions about it. The important news is that Google's documentation now lists this token as deprecated: current Notebook fetches identify as Google-GeminiNotebook.
If your robots.txt names only Google-NotebookLM, it is now targeting a retired identifier. Traffic arriving under Google-GeminiNotebook will fall through to your wildcard group instead, so a rule you believe is in force may no longer match anything. Keep the old token for older clients and add the new one.
Both sit in Google's user-triggered fetchers category, where the documented position is that these fetchers "generally ignore robots.txt rules" because the request came from a person rather than an automated crawl. So the rule is advisory in either form - server-, CDN-, or WAF-level user-agent filtering is what actually enforces a block.
The underlying access is worth understanding before blocking it. Someone importing your page into a notebook is studying your material closely - it is among the highest-engagement uses of published content, and the fetch is one page rather than a crawl.
How Google-NotebookLM behaves
- Deprecated identifier - live Notebook fetches now arrive as Google-GeminiNotebook.
- Documented among Google's user-triggered fetchers, which generally ignore robots.txt.
- Fetches the single URL a user imported, not a crawl of your site.
- Current Gemini Notebook user-agents embed a Chrome version alongside the Google-GeminiNotebook identifier.
Allow Google-NotebookLM
People actively studying your content in Notebook get answers grounded in the real page - deep, deliberate engagement with your material.
User-agent: Google-NotebookLM Allow: /
Block Google-NotebookLM
You don't want your content imported into third-party AI workspaces - but enforce at the WAF, since these fetchers generally ignore robots.txt.
User-agent: Google-NotebookLM Disallow: /
Heads up: Google-NotebookLM does not reliably honor robots.txt. To enforce a block, combine the rule above with server- or firewall-level filtering of the user-agent.
How to verify Google-NotebookLM
Published IP range feed
Google publishes a dedicated IP range feed for its user-triggered fetchers, separate from both the Googlebot and common-crawlers files - verify against that one. Because robots.txt is documented as generally ignored here, the published ranges are the practical basis for edge enforcement: match verified fetcher traffic deliberately, and treat unverified requests wearing the name as forgeries.
Documented reverse-DNS suffixes: .google.com
Commonly confused with Google-NotebookLM
Both are Google user-triggered fetchers that ignore robots.txt, but Google-Agent covers Gemini acting on a task rather than a user importing a source document.
Deep Research gathers many sources for a generated report; Notebook fetches the specific documents a user chose to study.
Google-NotebookLM FAQs
Is Google-NotebookLM still the right token to block?
Not on its own. Google's documentation lists it as deprecated and current Notebook fetches identify as Google-GeminiNotebook. Add a rule for the new token and keep the old one for any lingering clients.
Does a robots.txt Disallow stop Notebook from importing my page?
Not reliably. Google classifies these as user-triggered fetchers and documents that they generally ignore robots.txt because a person initiated the request. Enforcement requires user-agent filtering at your server, CDN, or WAF.
Should I block Notebook fetches?
Consider what the traffic represents: someone deliberately imported your page to study it, and the fetch is a single URL rather than a crawl. That is unusually high-engagement use, so most publishers allow it.
How do I verify this traffic is really Google?
Check the IP against Google's user-triggered-fetchers range feed, which is separate from the Googlebot and common-crawlers files. Reverse DNS under google.com also applies.
Can Google-NotebookLM read your page right now?
Test any URL and see exactly what AI crawlers receive.