Bot signals · Web crawler
What is Cookiebot scanner?
The Cookiebot scanner crawls a website, typically over up to 24 hours, to find the cookies and tracking technologies in use. Cookiebot says it simulates about five visitors at once going through every subpage and taking every action a visitor can, except filling in forms and paying for goods.
01 · Profile
Cookiebot scanner at a glance.
What to look for in your logs, and what the lookup API returns for its addresses.
- Type
- Web crawler
- User agent
Cookiebot/1.0- API flag
risk.is_crawler
A user agent alone never sets a flag. Anyone can claim to be Cookiebot scanner; the flag follows the address the request comes from.
02 · In the response
What a match looks like.
A lookup of a Cookiebot scanner address sets risk.is_crawler. The flags come with geolocation and network data in the same response, for API keys on every paid plan.
The response says which kind of bot an address belongs to, not which operator. A request that claims to be Cookiebot scanner while risk.is_crawler is false should not be trusted as Cookiebot scanner.
{
// … location and network fields …
"risk": {
"is_ai": false,
"is_crawler": true,
"is_scanner": false
}
}
03 · Control
Allow or block Cookiebot scanner.
Your options
- robots.txt works only for crawlers that choose to follow it. Check the operator’s documentation for the token it reads.
- Firewall, WAF or CDN. Many offer bot rules you can allow or deny by category. Use them to enforce what robots.txt only asks for.
- In your app. Look up the client address and allow or deny on
risk.is_crawler, alongside the user agent. - Never on the user agent alone. Blocking the name stops only honest clients; allowing it lets anyone in who borrows it.
04 · Questions
About Cookiebot scanner.
What is Cookiebot scanner?
The Cookiebot scanner crawls a website, typically over up to 24 hours, to find the cookies and tracking technologies in use. Cookiebot says it simulates about five visitors at once going through every subpage and taking every action a visitor can, except filling in forms and paying for goods.
How do I block Cookiebot scanner?
Deny it at your firewall, WAF or CDN, or look up each client address and deny requests where risk.is_crawler is true. Do not rely on the user agent alone.
Can I trust a request that says it is Cookiebot scanner?
Not on the user agent alone: any client can send “Cookiebot/1.0” in its user agent. A user agent alone never sets a flag. Check the address with the free bot checker or the lookup API.
Which risk flag does Cookiebot scanner set?
Its addresses set risk.is_crawler in the lookup response. The risk flags come with every paid plan.
From the blog
Go deeper.
Related bots
Recognise Cookiebot scanner on every request.
is_ai, is_crawler and is_scanner in every lookup, on every paid plan, from 9,00 € a month (VAT included).