Google's Mueller says AI crawlers access sitemaps and RSS feeds
John Mueller, Google's Search Relations lead, stated on the October 1 episode of the Search Off the Record podcast that AI training crawlers typically lack a console for submitting sitemaps. He noted that he has observed these crawlers accessing his own sitemap and RSS files in his server logs, though he did not identify the specific bots or confirm how the data is used.
What you can do with it
AI at Work →Check sitemap access with Google Search Console
What you get You can verify if AI crawlers are actually reading your content.
Shows raw access logs for your website files.
- Who for
- marketers and operations
- Cost
- free
- Effort
- minutes
Use it for
- Verify AI crawler visits
- Check sitemap access
How to set it up · From the article
- Access your web server logs
- Search for requests to sitemap.xml or RSS feeds
- Identify user agents that look like AI crawlers
Watch out Requires access to your web server or hosting logs
Google Search Console in the tool directory · 2 changes covered
Key points from the news
- Mueller confirmed seeing AI crawlers access his sitemap and RSS files in server logs.
- He advised using standard sitemap names or RSS feeds for AI indexing, not llms.txt.
- Search Console 'Couldn't fetch' errors often stem from host load or low crawl demand.
For site owners wanting their content indexed by AI systems, Mueller recommended using standard file names like "sitemap.xml" or relying on RSS feeds, which are often linked in the HTML head. He advised against using "llms.txt" as a sitemap substitute, describing it as lacking the strict format required by Google's systems and stating that "the hope is bigger than the reality." He clarified that while search systems might read Markdown files in the future, they do not currently.
Mueller also addressed why valid sitemaps sometimes show a "Couldn't fetch" error in Search Console. He attributed this to host load, where Google's systems are too busy, or low crawl demand, which is often based on the perceived quality of the website rather than technical issues. He emphasized that site owners should check their server logs to verify AI crawler activity and stick to documented protocols rather than speculative formats.
Google’s Mueller Says AI Crawlers Access Sitemaps & RSS In His Logs via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern
Search Engine Journal · 5 October 2026
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This text was published by Search Engine Journal and written by Matt G. Southern. It is reproduced here with attribution so you can read it in full; the rights remain with the publisher. Read it at the source ↗
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