---
title: "Cloudflare is blocking Lemwatch checks — Lemwatch Help"
description: "Fix Cloudflare \"Challenge\", \"Managed Challenge\", or 1020 errors that make Lemwatch see your site as down."
canonical: "https://lemwatch.com/help/cloudflare-blocking-lemwatch"
source: "https://lemwatch.com"
---

# Cloudflare is blocking Lemwatch checks

> Fix Cloudflare "Challenge", "Managed Challenge", or 1020 errors that make Lemwatch see your site as down.

## Quick answer

 In Cloudflare, create an IP Access Rule that allows Lemwatch's probe IP ranges, and add a WAF exception for the Lemwatch/1.0 User-Agent. Cloudflare's Bot Fight Mode and Managed Challenge otherwise block automated checks.

## What it fixes

- Cloudflare error 1020 (access denied)

- "Managed Challenge" or "JS Challenge" pages returning HTTP 403

- Bot Fight Mode flagging Lemwatch as a bot

- Rate limits triggering during frequent checks

## Where to find it in Lemwatch

 Copy the IPs from **Settings → Monitoring → Probe IPs**. Everything else happens in the Cloudflare dashboard.

## How to fix it

- In Cloudflare, go to Security → WAF → Tools → IP Access Rules .

- Add each Lemwatch CIDR with action Allow and scope This website .

- Go to Security → Bots and disable Bot Fight Mode on the site's zone, or add a WAF Skip rule for User-Agent Lemwatch/1.0 .

- Under Rate Limiting rules , exclude Lemwatch IPs from any rate limits.

- In Lemwatch, click Check now — the site should return the real 200 response.

## FAQ

### Will this weaken my security?

 No — Lemwatch IPs are static and published. Allow-listing a known monitor is standard practice.

### What about Super Bot Fight Mode?

 Same fix: add a **Skip** rule for the Lemwatch User-Agent under Custom Rules.

## Related

- Whitelist Lemwatch monitoring IPs

- Bypassing bot protection

- Fixing 5xx errors from firewalls


## Related

- [Help centre](https://lemwatch.com/help)
- [Whitelist Lemwatch monitoring IPs](https://lemwatch.com/help/lemwatch-ip-whitelisting)
- [Fixing 5xx errors caused by your firewall](https://lemwatch.com/help/fixing-5xx-errors-from-firewall)
- [Bypassing bot protection for Lemwatch checks](https://lemwatch.com/help/bypassing-bot-protection)
- [Why did my SSL grade drop?](https://lemwatch.com/help/why-ssl-grade-dropped)
- [Lemwatch pricing](https://lemwatch.com/pricing)
- [Content Freshness Tracking](https://lemwatch.com/help/content-freshness)
- [Client Dashboards](https://lemwatch.com/help/client-dashboards)