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# Configure Auto-block spam bots

## Overview

Stop bots from flooding your store with fake sign-ups and fake abandoned checkouts. **Auto-block spam bots** turns away bots (automated programs that pretend to be shoppers) before they can browse your store, sign up or start a checkout. You turn it on in **Settings > Bot Mitigator**.

## What you'll learn

* [How to enable Auto-block spam bots?](#2-how-to-enable-auto-block-spam-bots)
* [How it works?](#2-how-it-works)
* [Who can use this feature?](#2-who-can-use-this-feature)

## How to enable Auto-block spam bots?

Step 1: Go to **Settings > Bot Mitigator**.

![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/8/3/8/3/8383e5404a31c000/settings-02-bot-mitigator-tab_1bahnbm.png)

Step 2: Find the **Auto-block spam bots** card. It reads "Protect your store by blocking spam bots that attempt to sign up or complete fake checkouts." Turn on the switch on the right.

![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/8/3/8/3/8383e5404a31c000/image_51ysym.png)

The setting is saved as soon as you switch it. To pause the protection, turn the switch off.

## How it works?

* Once the switch is on, Blockify turns bots away before your store page opens for them. You don't need to create a rule in **Block & Re-director**.
* Good bots on the **Allowed bot list** (Googlebot, Bingbot, social link previews and so on) are always let through, so search engines can still list your store and shared links still show a preview. See [Manage the Allowed bot list](https://help.omegatheme.com/en/article/manage-the-allowed-bot-list-11f2qb/).
* Blockify keeps its bot detection up to date for you; there is no list to edit. Bots stopped this way don't appear in the visitor log.

### Blocking a bot that gets through

If a bot keeps getting through, block it by the browser and device information it sends (the **User agent**):

1. Open **Block & Re-director > Blacklist**, click **Block** and choose **User agent** as what to block by.
2. Set **Type** to **Regex** (a text pattern that can match several bots at once), then use **Generate with AI** and describe the bot in your own words, for example "block AhrefsBot and SemrushBot".
3. Save the rule.

Full steps are in [Block or redirect by user agent](https://help.omegatheme.com/en/article/block-or-redirect-by-user-agent-46zpit/).

## Who can use this feature?

Available on all plans.

## FAQs

1. **Will real customers be affected?**

No. Blockify only blocks visitors it recognises as bots. Shoppers using a normal browser can shop as usual.

2. **Can I see which bots were blocked?**

No. Bots stopped by this feature don't appear in the visitor log. Bots you block with a **User agent** rule do appear and can be found with the **Block reason** filter in **Analytics**.

3. **A bot I rely on was blocked. How do I allow it?**

Add it to the **Allowed bot list** in **Settings > Bot Mitigator** (click **Manage** on the **Allowed bot list** card). This feature never blocks allowed bots.

4. **Does this stop card testing at checkout?**

This feature blocks bots while they browse your store. For bots that reuse the same email, address or phone across many checkouts, also turn on [Stop repeated checkout attempts](https://help.omegatheme.com/en/article/stop-repeated-checkout-attempts-33ae9179-11gbcco/).