Meta · AI answers
meta-externalfetcher
Identify meta-externalfetcher by its user agent. Check request identity, review robots.txt controls and track visits in Aiola Analytics.
Key facts
meta-externalfetcherWhat meta-externalfetcher is
meta-externalfetcher retrieves individual links at a user's request and supports agentic AI tasks. Meta says it may bypass robots.txt.
In Aiola's taxonomy, AI answers means fetched to answer a user's question now.
meta-externalfetcher user agent
Look for the match token inside the complete HTTP User-Agent header. Tokens can be spoofed, so use the network checks below for authentication.
meta-externalfetcher/1.1 (+/documentation/sharing/webmasters/web-crawlers)meta-externalfetcherOfficial IP ranges
Meta's network is identified here as AS32934. ASN ownership is a useful signal, not a bot-specific allowlist; combine it with the User-Agent and request behavior.
Verify a meta-externalfetcher request
For meta-externalfetcher, check AS32934 network ownership alongside the user-agent token and request behavior. An ASN cannot authenticate one bot.
Network ownership covers more than this crawler identity. Use your own request controls and review the vendor documentation before allowing traffic.
Control meta-externalfetcher with robots.txt
meta-externalfetcher is user-triggered. Meta's controls may differ from automated crawling, so do not assume a robots.txt block is an authentication boundary.
User-agent: meta-externalfetcher
Allow: /User-agent: meta-externalfetcher
Disallow: /Aiola Analytics
See every meta-externalfetcher visit on your site
Aiola tracks 70 AI, search and link-preview crawlers next to your human traffic. See when meta-externalfetcher arrives, which pages it requests and how that changes over time. Hosted Analytics needs Pro or a trial.
Common questions
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