01 · Operator
Who operates StartmeBot
- Company
- start.me
- Type
- Other bot
- Official docs
- support.start.me
02 · Behavior
What StartmeBot does
When users add a site to their start.me page, the bot fetches its title and favicon. It also reads RSS feeds the site offers. start.me asks admins to email support@start.me about excessive visits.
03 · Impact
Why StartmeBot matters for your site
If you allow it
- Shows your site and feed on users' start pages
- Fetches only titles, favicons and feeds
If you block it
- Feed polling adds some load
- No published IP list
04 · Allow
How to allow StartmeBot
robots.txt
User-agent: StartmeBot
Allow: /Cloudflare
# Security › WAF › Custom rules › Create rule
Expression: (http.user_agent contains "StartmeBot")
Action: Skip › All Super Bot Fight Mode rules
# Also check Security › Bots: "Block AI bots" can block it regardless of robots.txt.WordPress
# WordPress serves a virtual robots.txt. Edit it with your SEO plugin:
# Yoast: SEO › Tools › File editor · Rank Math: General Settings › Edit robots.txt
User-agent: StartmeBot
Allow: /nginx
# nginx serves every user agent by default.
# Make sure no rule like this blocks it:
# if ($http_user_agent ~* "StartmeBot") { return 403; }Apache
# Apache serves every user agent by default.
# Make sure .htaccess has no rule like this:
# RewriteCond %{HTTP_USER_AGENT} StartmeBot [NC]
# RewriteRule .* - [F,L]05 · Block
How to block StartmeBot
Start with robots.txt. If StartmeBot keeps showing up in your logs, block it at your CDN or web server.
robots.txt
User-agent: StartmeBot
Disallow: /Cloudflare
# Security › WAF › Custom rules › Create rule
Expression: (http.user_agent contains "StartmeBot")
Action: BlockWordPress
# WordPress serves a virtual robots.txt. Edit it with your SEO plugin:
# Yoast: SEO › Tools › File editor · Rank Math: General Settings › Edit robots.txt
User-agent: StartmeBot
Disallow: /nginx
# In your server { } block:
if ($http_user_agent ~* "StartmeBot") {
return 403;
}Apache
# .htaccess
<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTP_USER_AGENT} StartmeBot [NC]
RewriteRule .* - [F,L]
</IfModule>06 · User agents
User agents we see for StartmeBot
The user agent published by the operator:
StartmeBot/1.0 (+https://start.me/bot)07 · Verification
Is it really StartmeBot?
StartmeBot’s operator publishes no IP ranges or hostnames, so requests cannot be verified. Treat the user agent as a claim, and watch your logs for unusual request rates.
FAQ
Questions about StartmeBot
What does StartmeBot collect?
start.me says it retrieves a page's title, the site's favicon and the contents of RSS feeds the site offers.
Why is StartmeBot visiting my site?
A start.me user has likely added your site or its RSS feed to their start page.
How do I contact start.me about StartmeBot?
start.me asks site owners with concerns to email support@start.me.
Last reviewed Oct 7, 2026