What is Snap URL Preview Service?
Snap URL Preview Service is a bot operated by Snap that fetches web page content to generate URL previews and rich link cards for links shared in Snapchat conversations. When users share links, this bot retrieves titles, descriptions, and images to create visual previews that enhance the user experience. Agent Analytics can track when it visits your website.
Overview
| Operated By | Snap |
| Source | Official Website |
| Expected To Follow Robots.txt | No |
| Insights Last Updated | August 11, 2026 |
Do you operate this agent? Contact us to suggest an update.
Category
Expected Behavior
Snap URL Preview Service usually makes a single request within seconds of a URL being shared, without crawling further. Traffic rises and falls with sharing activity, so a widely circulated link can produce a sharp burst of fetches.
Snap URL Preview Service's User Agent
| User Agent | Snap URL Preview Service; bot; snapchat; https://developers.snap.com/robots |
How To Block Snap URL Preview Service With Robots.txt
Add this rule to your robots.txt file to request that Snap URL Preview Service not access your website, or use Automatic Robots.txt to request the same of all fetchers at once. You can customize which pages are blocked by swapping out / for a different path.
User-agent: Snap URL Preview Service # https://knownagents.com/agents/snap-url-preview-service
Disallow: /Global Statistics for Snap URL Preview Service
As of August 11, 2026, this data reflects agent visits measured across thousands of websites using Agent Analytics, combined with daily scans of the top 1000 websites and their robots.txt files.
Robots.txt Blocked Percentage
Country of Origin
Robots.txt Blocking Trend
0% of top websites block Snap URL Preview Service in their robots.txt files.
Overall Fetcher Traffic
2.6% of all web traffic came from fetchers.
Top Visited Website Categories
The types of websites most frequently visited by Snap URL Preview Service.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I Block Snap URL Preview Service?
Usually not. Blocking Snap URL Preview Service may leave shared links without a title or image, making them less inviting to click. If it begins fetching at unexpected volume, try rate limiting before blocking it outright. Almost none of the top websites we track currently have robots.txt rules for Snap URL Preview Service.
Does Snap URL Preview Service Follow Robots.txt Rules?
No. Snap URL Preview Service is not expected to follow robots.txt directives, so a disallow rule only communicates your preference. Enforce the block with firewall or server rules, then use Agent Analytics to verify that its requests stop.
Does Snap URL Preview Service Access Private Content?
No. Snap URL Preview Service has no credentials and should access only the public URL and assets needed for a preview. It does not continue through the rest of your site.
Why Is Snap URL Preview Service Visiting My Website?
Someone shared a link to your page. Snap URL Preview Service fetched it to build a preview card, and each new share may trigger another request. A spike often means your content is circulating more widely.
How Can I Tell if Snap URL Preview Service Is Visiting My Website?
Agent Analytics tracks Snap URL Preview Service visits in real time alongside every other known AI agent, crawler, and scraper. You can also check your server logs for requests whose user-agent string contains "Snap URL Preview Service". Look for a page and its preview assets being requested without follow-up navigation. Because Snap URL Preview Service does not publish a verification method, any client can claim its identity and a log match is only a clue.