WordPress plugin vs Cloudflare Logpush for AI crawler logs
Two ways to see which AI crawlers visit your site without touching server logs: the Promptwatch WordPress plugin and Cloudflare Logpush. A comparison with a verdict and who should pick which.
Quick verdict
If your site runs on WordPress and you can install a plugin, use the plugin. If it runs on WP Engine, Webflow, Shopify or Kinsta, where you cannot reach the server, use Cloudflare Logpush. Both feed AI crawler visits into Promptwatch, and both avoid the usual objection, "I can't see server logs." One plan note up front: crawler logs start on Professional ($245 a month). Essential has none.
Why this matters
You cannot manage what AI crawlers do on your site if you cannot see them. Analytics tools filter bots out, so a page cited by an engine can look like it has no traffic at all. Server logs would show the visits, but a lot of sites sit on hosts that do not give you log access. That is why "hosted site, no server access" has become the standard excuse for not looking.
Why look? The practical questions are simple. Did GPTBot or OAI-SearchBot fetch the page? Did the request succeed or fail? Does a page that gets crawled also get cited? Without logs you are guessing at all three. Our guide to setting up AI crawler log tracking walks through the basics, and crawler names explained helps you read what shows up.
Option 1: the WordPress plugin
Per the Promptwatch changelog, WordPress is an option in the crawler log setup. You install the Promptwatch plugin, paste an API key and AI crawler visits start coming in, without touching your server or CDN config. The official plugin, announced in August 2026, brings three integrations in one install: content publishing from the Content Agent, visitor analytics for AI-driven visitors, and crawler logs captured directly from your server. A guided connect wizard in CMS integrations walks you through setup, and you can install from the WordPress Plugin Directory or download the ZIP during CMS setup.
Strengths: one install covers logs, visitors and publishing. No CDN change. Little technical skill needed.
Limits: it is for WordPress sites. If you have a headless setup or a different CMS, it does not apply. And it adds a plugin to maintain, which some teams avoid on principle.
Option 2: Cloudflare Logpush
On 6 October 2026, the changelog states, Cloudflare Logpush became the default crawler log setup for WP Engine, Webflow, Shopify and Kinsta sites. In practice this means the hosts that hide their server logs are covered by putting Cloudflare in front and pushing request logs to Promptwatch. The fact sheet we hold also lists an auto-deployed Cloudflare Worker as an alternative path, along with AWS CloudFront, Fastly, Vercel, Netlify, Akamai, Google Cloud CDN and custom HTTP.
Strengths: works regardless of CMS. Suits sites that already sit behind Cloudflare. Covers hosts where a plugin cannot reach the server.
Limits: you need Cloudflare in front of the site and access to its settings, which for a small team may mean a DNS change and someone who can approve it. Hosts differ, so allow time to test. We have no source on how long setup takes, so we do not quote one.
Comparison
| WordPress plugin | Cloudflare Logpush | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | WordPress sites of any host | WP Engine, Webflow, Shopify, Kinsta |
| Server or CDN changes | None, per the changelog | Cloudflare in front of the site |
| Also covers | Publishing and visitor analytics (official plugin) | Logs only |
| Needs | Plugin install and an API key | Cloudflare account and Logpush configuration |
| Promptwatch plan | Crawler logs start on Professional | Crawler logs start on Professional |
| Source | Changelog | Changelog, 6 Oct 2026 |
Promptwatch's crawler logs are IP-verified, so visits from spoofed user agents are filtered out.
How other tools handle crawler data
Our catalog records that Scrunch AI includes AI agent and bot traffic reporting, and that Profound includes Agent Analytics. It does not record how either gets the data, or what the setup involves for hosted sites, so we cannot compare them on this point. If crawler data matters to you, ask each vendor how a Shopify or Webflow store gets logs in, and at which plan.
What to check once the data flows
- Bots by name. Confirm you see the crawlers you expect, such as GPTBot, OAI-SearchBot, ChatGPT-User, ClaudeBot and PerplexityBot. There is no bot called ChatGPTBot.
- Errors. Look for failed requests on pages you want cited.
- Crawl to citation. A page that is crawled and never cited is a content problem. Our guide to reading a crawl-to-citation path helps with the interpretation.
- Robots rules. Check that your robots.txt does not block the bots you want. See robots.txt rules for AI crawlers.
Who should pick which
- WordPress plugin if you run WordPress and want logs, visitor analytics and publishing from one install.
- Cloudflare Logpush if you are on WP Engine, Webflow, Shopify or Kinsta, or you already use Cloudflare for other reasons.
- Neither, yet if you are on Essential and do not plan to move up. Crawler logs are not in that plan, so test a free check of crawler access first. Our AI crawler accessibility tool guide lists options.
Bottom line
The excuse of no server access no longer holds. Pick the route that matches your platform, and budget for Professional or above if you want the logs. Promptwatch is the one we would evaluate first for this job, because the logs sit beside citations and visitor analytics, which is the context that turns a list of bot hits into a decision.