Add note: Fix your robots.txt file

src/collections/posts/lastmod.json

@@ -23,5 +23,5 @@
 	"src/routes/posts/(2025)/environment-variables-in-sveltekit/+page.md": "2025-11-05T14:06:22.000Z",
 	"src/routes/posts/(2025)/it-aint-easy-to-move-a-side-project-off-big-tech/+page.md": "2025-11-07T20:24:14.000Z",
 	"src/routes/posts/(2025)/managing-environment-variables-with-vercel/+page.md": "2025-11-12T20:58:01.000Z",
-	"src/routes/posts/(2026)/the-privacy-friendly-video-doorbell-that-failed-in-cold-weather/+page.md": "2026-01-11T14:13:07.000Z"
+	"src/routes/posts/(2026)/the-privacy-friendly-video-doorbell-with-flawed-person-detection/+page.md": "2026-01-17T15:14:53.000Z"
 }

src/routes/notes/(2026)/fix-your-robots-txt-file/+page.md

@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+---
+title: Fix your robots.txt file
+description:
+  If Google does not index your site, it might be because you don't have a robots.txt file.
+publishedDate: 2026-01-18
+link: https://www.alanwsmith.com/en/37/wa/jz/s1/
+---
+
+This link popped up in my Bluesky feed. Long story short: Google won't index your website if your
+site does not serve a `robots.txt` file. That's a little weird because this did not matter in the
+past. And many small websites probably don't even have a `robots.txt` file.
+
+`robots.txt` is part of the
+[Robots Exclusion Protocol](https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc9309.html). But it is nothing more
+than an unenforced code of conduct pinned to the entrance of your website. Be nice, dear bots, or
+else nothing will happen.
+
+If you plan to add a `robots.txt` file to your site, you can
+[check an earlier note](/notes/disallowing-ai-bots-in-robots-txt) on how to discourage AI bots from
+slurping up content by denying them access to your website in `robots.txt`. Again, this does not
+prevent bots from accessing your site, but it makes the house rules clear and possibly legally
+enforceable.