Bot intelligence record

GoogleMessages

Usually allow

Use the GoogleMessages identifier to separate Google link preview, prefetch, or user-triggered rendering traffic from normal visitor requests in server logs.

Preview Official Documented Confidence: High Verified: Yes robots.txt: No
Operator
Google
Family
Google
Type
Preview
Source type
Official
Last checked
2026-05-20

User-Agent Pattern

Google
GoogleMessages
Verification note

User-agent strings are identification signals, not proof of identity. Confirm important allow, block, or rate-limit decisions with logs, DNS or IP evidence, request behavior, or operator documentation when available.

Robots.txt Snippet

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No general robots.txt block is guaranteed; this is a user-triggered fetcher and may require server-side access controls.

Click the snippet to copy it, or highlight the text manually.

Handling Guidance

Depends

This bot is usually safe to allow when the request source is verified and the traffic matches your site policy.

Link previews, page rendering, social unfurls, prefetching, or user-triggered content previews.

Record Details

Structured data
Operator
Google
Family
Google
Type
Preview
Purpose
Preview
Identity type
Official Documented
Confidence
High
Last verified
2026-04-01
Last checked
2026-05-20
Source type
Official
Verification
Verify as a Google fetcher using reverse DNS and Google's published user-triggered fetcher IP ranges.
IP ranges
https://developers.google.com/static/search/apis/ipranges/user-triggered-fetchers-google.json
Spoofing risk
User-agent strings for GoogleMessages can be spoofed. Treat user-agent detection as a classification signal, then verify with published IP ranges, reverse DNS, signatures, operator documentation, or published operator documentation, IP ranges, reverse DNS, signatures, or other verified identity signals before allow-listing.

Notes

GoogleMessages is listed in the Botcrawl directory as a preview or prefetch bot from Google. The primary identifier for log review is GoogleMessages.

Identification

  • User-agent pattern: GoogleMessages
  • Family: Google
  • Type: Preview
  • Kind: Preview

Common use

Link previews, page rendering, social unfurls, prefetching, or user-triggered content previews.

Verification and handling

Verify as a Google fetcher using reverse DNS and Google's published user-triggered fetcher IP ranges.

Directory guidance marks the risk level as Safe and the blocking decision as Depends. Do not rely on the user-agent string alone because user-agent strings can be copied or spoofed.

Robots.txt handling: No.

Evidence and Source

  • Verify as a Google fetcher using reverse DNS and Google's published user-triggered fetcher IP ranges.
  • Match `GoogleMessages` as a case-insensitive substring in HTTP user-agent logs. Review bot_aliases for alternate names or product labels. Do not treat a user-agent match alone as proof of identity for allow-listing.
  • Link previews, page rendering, social unfurls, prefetching, or user-triggered content previews.
  • User-agent strings for GoogleMessages can be spoofed. Treat user-agent detection as a classification signal, then verify with published IP ranges, reverse DNS, signatures, operator documentation, or published operator documentation, IP ranges, reverse DNS, signatures, or other verified identity signals before allow-listing.

https://developers.google.com/crawling/docs/crawlers-fetchers/google-user-triggered-fetchers

Same family: Google

ProjectShield-UrlCheck Safe

ProjectShield Url Check

ProjectShield Url Check is a security scanner from Google used for security checks, malware review, or abuse prevention.

Operator and family: Google Type: Security
Verified robots.txt: No Block: No Verified Bot
GoogleOther-Image Neutral

GoogleOther-Image

GoogleOther-Image is an AI crawler from Google used for AI-related crawling, retrieval, search, or assistant activity.

Operator and family: Google Type: Ai Purpose: Ai Training
Verified robots.txt: Yes Block: Depends Official Documented
GoogleOther-Video Neutral

GoogleOther-Video

GoogleOther-Video is an AI crawler from Google used for AI-related crawling, retrieval, search, or assistant activity.

Operator and family: Google Type: Ai Purpose: Ai Training
Verified robots.txt: Yes Block: Depends Official Documented
Google-Extended Safe

Google-Extended

Google-Extended is an AI control token from Google used for AI-related crawling, retrieval, search, or assistant activity.

Operator and family: Google Type: Ai Purpose: Ai Assistant
Verified robots.txt: Yes Block: Depends Official Documented

Same operator: Google

GoogleAgent-Mariner Neutral

GoogleAgent-Mariner

Claimed Google Project Mariner user-agent token for agentic browser activity.

Operator: Google Family: Google Mariner Type: Ai Purpose: Agentic Browsing
Not verified robots.txt: Unknown Block: Depends Observed
Google-Display-Ads-Bot Neutral

Google-Display-Ads-Bot

Google AdSense uses a crawler called Google-Display-Ads-Bot to verify your site when you add a site to AdSense.

Operator and family: Google Type: Search Purpose: Indexing
Verified robots.txt: Yes Block: Depends Verified Bot
Google-NotebookLM Neutral

Google-NotebookLM

Google-NotebookLM is an AI fetcher from Google used for AI-related crawling, retrieval, search, or assistant activity.

Operator and family: Google Type: Ai Purpose: Ai Assistant
Verified robots.txt: No Block: Depends Official Documented
Google-Pinpoint Safe

Google-Pinpoint

Google-Pinpoint is a search crawler from Google used for search indexing, page discovery, or content rendering.

Operator and family: Google Type: Search
Verified robots.txt: No Block: Depends Official Documented

Similar purpose: Preview

YandexScreenshotBot Safe

YandexScreenshotBot

YandexScreenshotBot is a preview or prefetch bot from Yandex used to fetch pages for previews, unfurls, or user-triggered rendering.

Operator and family: Yandex Type: Preview
Verified robots.txt: No Block: Depends Official Documented
YandexFavicons Safe

YandexFavicons

YandexFavicons is a preview or prefetch bot from Yandex used to fetch pages for previews, unfurls, or user-triggered rendering.

Operator and family: Yandex Type: Preview
Verified robots.txt: No Block: Depends Official Documented
YandexMobileScreenShotBot Safe

YandexMobileScreenShotBot

YandexMobileScreenShotBot is a preview or prefetch bot from Yandex used to fetch pages for previews, unfurls, or user-triggered rendering.

Operator and family: Yandex Type: Preview
Verified robots.txt: No Block: Depends Official Documented
Yahoo Link Preview Neutral

Yahoo Link Preview

Yahoo Link Preview's bot fetches data from URLs shared on Yahoo platforms.

Operator and family: Yahoo Type: Preview
Verified robots.txt: No Block: Depends Verified Bot

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