On 21 September 2026, Google is adding a new audit for Agentic Resource Discovery (ARD) in Lighthouse 13.5. It checks whether AI agents can find your website’s tools and services. The check arrives in Chrome 156 DevTools first and will reach PageSpeed Insights within two weeks.
AI systems increasingly handle tasks for users. ARD is a proposed standard that explains how an AI agent can identify the utility tools and services a site offers.
If you run an estate agency in The Hague, an AI agent searching online for your services can use references in your robots.txt file to discover what you offer.
Limitations of the test
Google states that standards for the agentic web are still under development. The test operates separately from Google Search. You will not get a score between 0 and 100; Lighthouse gives you a pass rate instead.
Three developers from Google, Microsoft and Hugging Face drafted the ARD proposal. Its latest version uses an ard.json file. Lighthouse’s initial test code mainly looked for the older ai-catalog.json file. If Lighthouse cannot find a catalogue, it displays ‘Not Applicable’.
What can you do with this?
You do not need to update your website immediately, but you can prepare with these steps:
- Check your
robots.txtfile to ensure you are not accidentally blocking AI crawlers or specific files. - Test your site as soon as version 13.5 launches in PageSpeed Insights.
- Decide which digital services or features you want to make accessible to AI agents in the future.
Source: Search Engine Journal
