The Spam Checker helps protect your Knowledge Base from abusive or automated searches. It automatically identifies unusual traffic patterns and flags queries that may be spam, ensuring your search analytics stay accurate and meaningful.

In this article, you’ll learn:

• Where flagged searches appear in the Analytics area.
• How to review spam-like searches.
• How to add Trusted IPs to prevent legitimate users or integrations from being blocked.
• Where Spam-Flagged Searches Appear

Where You can Find Spam-Flagged Searches

All search queries detected as spam are displayed in the Flagged Searches tab inside Analytics > Searches. For more information on how to access the Analytics Section, check the Analytics - The Searches Tab article.

There you’ll find:

• The query that was flagged.
• The IP address responsible for the search.
• The reason for the flag.

This view helps you distinguish real user activity from automated or suspicious traffic.

Understanding Spam Checker Flag Reasons

When a search query is flagged as spam, the Flagged Searches tab will display a specific reason to help you understand what triggered the detection. Below is what each reason means:

Common Flag Reasons

• Unusual amount of symbols
  The search contains an excessive number of special characters or symbols that do not resemble a typical user query.
• Long character sequence
  The query includes a very long, uninterrupted string of characters, often associated with automated tools or spam scripts.
• Blocked IP address
  The search originated from an IP address already blocked by the system due to repeated suspicious activity.
• Suspicious user-agent
  Triggered when the User-Agent string does not match what is expected from a regular browser - for example, bots, crawlers, or custom automations.
• IP flagged for spamming behavior
  This occurs when the IP performs an unusually high number of searches per minute, indicating possible automation or scraping attempts.
• General spam patterns
  The query matches common patterns known to be associated with spam or non-human search activity.
• Manually flagged
  The search was manually marked as spam by an admin reviewing the analytics.

Examples

Here are a few examples to help you understand how these flags appear in real scenarios:

Managing Trusted IPs

If you notice that legitimate users, internal teams, or integrations are being flagged, you can prevent this by adding them as Trusted IPs.

1. Go to Knowledge Base Settings.
2. Select Spam Checker.
3. In the Trusted IPs field, add one IP address per line.
4. Click Save Changes.

Once added, searches from these IPs will never be blocked or flagged by the system.

Troubleshooting

Best Practices

• Review the Flagged Searches tab regularly to quickly identify unusual activity.
• Add trusted office or server IPs to prevent legitimate users or integrations from being blocked.
• Avoid whitelisting unknown or unverified IPs.
• Look for patterns in repeated spam entries to understand whether a bot or automated system is attempting to access your KB.
• Encourage your team to report any unexpected blocks so you can review and add Trusted IPs if necessary.
• If your internal tools rely on automated searches, document their IP addresses to prevent false positives.
• Use the spam checker insights to identify potential misuse early and tighten access rules when needed.
• Keep an eye on VPN or proxy usage within your organization, as shared networks can trigger accidental flags.
• Revisit your Trusted IP list periodically to remove IPs you no longer use.