Summary
Scrawly is a free, open-source desktop crawler that audits technical SEO and AI-search accessibility across major operating systems.
About
Scrawly combines conventional technical SEO auditing with checks for AI-search crawler access, offering a locally run, open-source alternative to licensed desktop crawlers.
Scrawly is an MIT-licensed desktop application for macOS, Windows, and Linux. It crawls websites, renders JavaScript, and runs 250 technical SEO, generative engine optimization, and AI-search checks. Results are presented in plain English with recommended fixes. The tool checks whether GPTBot, ClaudeBot, and PerplexityBot can access a site, audits llms.txt, supports reversible WordPress fixes, and includes an MCP server. It requires no account or licence and has no page cap.
Key Features
Crawls websites and renders JavaScript on macOS, Windows, and Linux.
Runs 250 technical SEO, GEO, and AI-search checks.
Tests access for GPTBot, ClaudeBot, and PerplexityBot and audits llms.txt.
Provides plain-English findings and reversible WordPress fixes.
Includes an MCP server and is released under the MIT license.
Real-World Use Cases
Technical SEO audits
Identify technical website issues across crawled pages, including sites that rely on JavaScript rendering.
AI-search accessibility checks
Assess whether named AI crawlers can reach a website and review its llms.txt configuration.
WordPress remediation
Apply reversible WordPress fixes based on audit findings.
SEO consulting and client reviews
Use crawl results to identify and explain technical and AI-search improvements for client websites.
Business Opportunities
SEO audit services
Problem: Organizations may lack the time or specialist capacity to identify technical SEO issues across their websites.
Solution: Use Scrawly's crawl results and plain-English recommendations to support recurring or project-based technical audits.
Estimated ROI: Potentially moderate through reduced manual audit effort and billable consulting work; actual returns depend on client demand and service pricing.
Execution: Define an audit scope, crawl client or company sites, prioritize findings, and deliver remediation recommendations. Validate findings before making changes.
AI-search readiness reviews
Problem: Website owners may not know whether AI-search crawlers can access their content or whether llms.txt is configured appropriately.
Solution: Use the crawler-access checks and llms.txt audit to provide a focused review of a site's AI-search accessibility.
Estimated ROI: Potentially moderate as an extension to existing SEO services; measurable business impact depends on client needs and evolving AI-search practices.
Execution: Offer AI-search accessibility as an assessment alongside existing SEO services, document access findings, and recommend site changes where needed.
In-house website quality monitoring
Problem: Marketing and web teams need a practical way to identify technical crawl issues and review changes to site accessibility.
Solution: Run Scrawly as a desktop auditing tool and use its findings to guide technical or WordPress remediation.
Estimated ROI: Potentially positive through earlier issue detection and reduced reliance on paid crawler licences; savings depend on existing tools and workflow.
Execution: Establish a repeatable crawl and review process, assign findings to relevant owners, and verify fixes with subsequent audits.