Google-InspectionTool — Search Console tester
Google-InspectionTool is the user agent Google uses for its Search testing tools, including URL Inspection in Search Console and the Rich Results Test. Google documents it as a separate token from Googlebot, so the requests you see are on-demand tests, not routine indexing crawls.
What this means
Google-InspectionTool is the user agent Google uses for its Search testing tools. When you run URL Inspection in Search Console, or use the Rich Results Test, Google fetches the page using this token rather than the routine Googlebot crawl identity.
Google lists Google-InspectionTool among its crawlers and fetchers as a distinct user agent. Recognising it explains bursts of Google fetches that line up with manual testing rather than with normal indexing activity.
How it identifies and verifies
Google-InspectionTool uses its own token in the user agent. It is verified the same way as other Google crawlers: reverse DNS that resolves into googlebot.com or google.com with a matching forward lookup, or matching Google's published crawler IP ranges. Match on the stable token, since version components change.
- User-agent token: Google-InspectionTool
- Used by URL Inspection and Rich Results Test
- Verify via reverse DNS to googlebot.com / google.com
How it appears in analytics and logs
A request carrying the Google-InspectionTool token is Google fetching a page for a testing tool such as URL Inspection or the Rich Results Test — typically triggered on demand. It is a bot event tied to testing, distinct from routine Googlebot indexing crawls and from human visits.
Diagnostic use case
Recognise Google-InspectionTool hits as on-demand tests triggered by Search Console or the Rich Results Test, and control it separately from Googlebot.
What WebmasterID can help detect
WebmasterID classifies Google-InspectionTool server-side as search-crawler activity and shows it separately from human traffic, so you can see testing-tool fetches without parsing logs.
Common mistakes
- Mistaking on-demand inspection fetches for a change in indexing crawl rate.
- Assuming a Googlebot rule is the only Google token in play — InspectionTool is separate.
- Trusting the user agent without reverse-DNS or IP verification.
Privacy and accuracy notes
Identification uses the user agent plus Google's reverse-DNS/IP verification — no human identity. WebmasterID records Google-InspectionTool as a bot event, separate from human analytics.
Related pages
- Googlebot Smartphone — Google's mobile-first crawler
Googlebot Smartphone is the mobile user-agent variant of Googlebot and, under mobile-first indexing, Google's primary crawler for most sites. It uses the Googlebot robots.txt token and can be verified through reverse DNS and Google's published crawler IP ranges.
- How to verify Googlebot
The Googlebot user agent is widely spoofed, so a request claiming to be Googlebot should be verified, not trusted. Google documents two methods: a reverse-DNS check that resolves into googlebot.com or google.com confirmed by a matching forward lookup, and matching the source IP against Google's published crawler IP ranges.
- Bot intelligence
See search-engine crawlers separated from human traffic.
Sources and verification notes
- Google — Google crawlers (user agents) overviewDocuments Google-InspectionTool and its testing-tool role.
Last reviewed 2026-06-24. Facts are checked against primary/official sources where available; uncertain specifics are marked “Data not yet verified” rather than guessed.