Can You Detect Bot
Can websites detect automation / bots?
Checking…
Simulates what a normal website can learn from your browser — not a stealth audit.
How to use
- Open the page in a normal browser first — expect No or weak Partially signals.
- Run the same URL in Puppeteer, Playwright, or Selenium to compare Yes signals.
- Click Refresh after changing launch flags or stealth plugins.
FAQ
Can websites detect Puppeteer or Playwright?
Often yes. `navigator.webdriver === true`, HeadlessChrome in the user agent, and other automation artifacts are common. Stealth plugins reduce but do not guarantee invisibility against modern anti-bot stacks.
Why does my normal Chrome say Partially?
A single weak signal — such as empty plugins on some setups — is not proof of automation. Read the bullet list; strong flags like webdriver matter more than one soft hint.
Is webdriver always true for bots?
For many default automation launches, yes. Patched drivers and some stealth modes try to hide it; dedicated anti-bot products use dozens of signals beyond this page.
Different from Can You Detect AI Crawler?
Yes. [Can you detect AI crawler](/tools/detect-ai-crawler) matches training-bot user agents like GPTBot. This page targets interactive automation (Selenium, headless browsers).
Can I use this to bypass bot detection?
This page is educational — it shows visible signals, not evasion techniques. Respect site terms and robots policies.
Is anything uploaded?
Checks run locally from JavaScript APIs available to any webpage.
Introduction
Can You Detect Bot checks automation fingerprints that JavaScript on a page can read — the same class of signals anti-bot products start with, including navigator.webdriver and HeadlessChrome user agents. Human browsers usually score No or Partially; default scripted browsers often score Yes.
Developers testing scrapers need to know what leaks. Site owners need to know why CAPTCHAs fire. This tool lists the browser-visible layer only — not server-side TLS or behavioral biometrics.
Signals this page checks
| Signal | Typical meaning |
|---|---|
| navigator.webdriver | W3C automation flag — true in many drivers |
| HeadlessChrome in UA | Headless Chromium session |
| Bot/automation UA keywords | puppeteer, playwright, selenium tokens if present |
| Empty plugins (desktop) | Sometimes correlated with headless defaults |
| Empty languages | Unusual for real users; weak hint alone |
Strong combinations push Yes. One weak hint alone yields Partially, not a conviction.
Yes vs Partially vs No
- Yes — strong automation markers present.
- Partially — soft hints only; could be a hardened normal browser or incomplete stealth.
- No — no meaningful automation flags in this tab’s JavaScript surface.
Commercial bot management adds canvas timing, mouse entropy, IP reputation, and challenge flows — far beyond this demo.
Common use cases
- CI smoke tests — confirm staging allows your test browser or documents why it blocks.
- Scraper debugging — see which flags remain after launch options change.
- Security training — show why “headless” is not invisible.
- Compare with AI crawlers — bots that identify as GPTBot are covered under can you detect AI crawler.
Best practices
- Run once in manual Chrome, once in automation, and diff the signal list.
- Do not equate No here with guaranteed human traffic — sophisticated bots mimic real profiles.
- Pair with what is my user agent to inspect the full UA string.
- For site-owner VPN/proxy detection, see can you detect VPN — unrelated to Selenium flags but often combined in risk engines.