Sourced Facts, Open to Search and AI: How Cali-Graf Publishes Contractor Data
Cali-Graf is the free solar platform built by Cali Energy, a Los Angeles solar and roofing contractor, and its public half — the directory of licensed Southern California contractors and solar equipment — is open to people and machines alike. Every page is open to every crawler, search engine and AI agent; every fact names its public source; addresses stay stable when names change; and anyone can check what an AI assistant says about a contractor against the license board's data in one click. Openness only lets a page be read. What makes it worth quoting is the record behind it — an active license, the right classes, insurance and permits that show real work — and that record is what each page puts first. The Cali-Graf design app, where installers keep their customers' calculations, is the part that stays closed.
Open to every crawler, by design
Cali-Graf's robots.txt opens with a plain statement:
Every page of this site is open to every crawler, search engine and AI agent. Pages marked noindex are open too — they are only kept out of search results.
There are no separate rules for AI crawlers — search assistants, AI agents and model-training crawlers are all allowed. The only areas closed to crawling are private app screens behind sign-in, the app's API, and endless search and filter variations of the same pages.
Some profiles carry a noindex tag: thin pages, such as licenses with little or no permit history, are kept out of search results. They are still open to people and crawlers, so an assistant can read them when asked about that company.
A map for machines
Three things help crawlers and AI agents find their way around:
- llms.txt — cali-graf.com/llms.txt is a plain-text table of contents for AI systems: a one-paragraph description of the platform and links to the contractor sections by trade and county, the equipment catalogs, the calculators and guides, and the app's documentation. It serves AI systems that read such files; Google has said its Search doesn't use llms.txt, so for Google what earns a citation is the sourced facts on the pages themselves.
- Sitemaps — the sitemap index lists nine sitemaps covering contractor profiles, ranked lists, equipment by category, the help center and other pages; only pages meant for search results are listed.
- Change notices — when pages change, Cali-Graf notifies participating search engines through the IndexNow protocol, so updated license and permit facts can be picked up sooner.
Facts that can be quoted
An AI answer is only as good as the page behind it. Cali-Graf's verification rules are published on How we verify data, which opens: "Cali-Graf publishes only facts we can trace to a public source. Every section on every page names its source, and calculated values say how they were calculated." In practice:
| What a page does | Why it matters for a citation |
|---|---|
| Names the source and date of each fact — the Contractors State License Board record with its date, the permit portals with their coverage periods, the CEC list snapshot, datasheets and test reports | A quote can carry its origin, and a reader can check it |
| Matches permits to contractors by the CSLB license number on the permit, not by name | Two companies with similar names don't get mixed up |
| Shows no section when a source has nothing — gaps are not filled with estimates | An empty field is not invented data |
| Ends each contractor profile and each equipment page with a short Q&A answered only from facts on that page, followed by a numbered list of sources | Direct questions ("Is X licensed?", "Is the Powerwall 3 UL 9540 certified?") have direct, sourced answers |
| Gives search engines structured data, including the contractor's license as a credential recognized by the Contractors State License Board | Machines can read the license without parsing the page |
| Shows no homeowner names or street addresses from permits — only the type of work, date, jurisdiction and ZIP code | Data about real homes stays private |
The coverage periods themselves are public: for example, City of Los Angeles permits from April 2006 and San Diego County permits from October 2024, as listed on Data sources.
Addresses that don't break
A citation is only useful if the link still works next year. Each Cali-Graf page has a permanent key behind its address. If a company renames, its profile moves to the new address with a permanent (301) redirect; if a page is removed, the old address answers that it is gone (410) instead of quietly pointing somewhere else. A contractor's profile can also be reached by license number alone: cali-graf.com/contractor/ca/ followed by the license number redirects to the current profile, whatever the company is called now.
What stays closed
The design app is not part of this. Installers' calculations, roof designs, proposals and customer details are private to each account, the app's screens are closed to crawlers, and Cali Energy never uses that data to sell its own work. What is open about the app is its documentation: the help center and release notes are public pages, so an assistant asked how Cali-Graf works can read the same instructions a user would.
How to check what an AI says about a contractor
AI assistants can mix up companies, quote old licenses or miss a suspension. Whatever the source of the recommendation, a two-minute check settles it:
- Get the license number — from the contractor's quote, contract, truck or website. California requires licensed contractors to put it on construction contracts, bids and advertising (Business and Professions Code §7030.5).
- Open the profile. Type the number into Cali-Graf's license check, or go straight to cali-graf.com/contractor/ca/ followed by the number.
- Compare the basics: license status, the classes for the job (C-46, C-10 or B for solar; C-39 for roofing), bond, workers' compensation if there is a crew, and the permits that show real recent work nearby.
- For anything that matters, confirm with the state. Every California license can be looked up on the Contractors State License Board website, which is the authoritative record.
The same applies to equipment: if an answer names a panel or a battery, its Cali-Graf page shows the California Energy Commission listing, the datasheet and real local installs. For the broader hiring process, see how to choose a solar installer in California and solar quote red flags.
Have a license number from a quote or an AI answer? Check it now — status, classes, insurance and permits on one page.
Kept current at the source
The directory covers solar, roofing and electrical contractors across Southern California, with permit history from the city and county portals listed on its data sources page. Every fact carries the date it was checked, and corrections go back to the source: a report to calisolargroup@gmail.com with the page address is checked against the license board or the permit portal, and the page is fixed.
For an overview of the whole platform, see what Cali-Graf is.
Frequently asked
Can AI assistants read and cite Cali-Graf pages?
What is llms.txt on Cali-Graf?
Does Cali-Graf block AI training crawlers?
Why are some Cali-Graf profiles marked noindex?
How do I check a contractor an AI recommended?
Are installers' calculations in the Cali-Graf app public?
Related reading
Sources & methodology
Product facts on this page come from Cali-Graf's own help center and the pages linked below; figures in examples come from the stated inputs. Features, limits and supported utilities change; each was verified October 16, 2026.
- Cali-Graf — robots.txt
- Cali-Graf — llms.txt
- Cali-Graf — Sitemap index
- Cali-Graf — How we verify data
- Cali-Graf — Data sources and coverage periods
- Cali-Graf — Contractor license check
- Cali-Graf Help — Who can see your calculations
- IndexNow — protocol documentation
- Google Search Central — AI features and your website (llms.txt is not used by Search)
- California Business and Professions Code §7030.5 (license number on contracts, bids and advertising)
- Contractors State License Board — License lookup
Got a contractor's name from an AI? Check it
Type the license number into Cali-Graf's license check and see status, classes, bond, insurance and recent permits in one place. Planning solar in Los Angeles? Cali Energy (CSLB #1032379), which develops Cali-Graf, can prepare a design and estimate for your roof.
Prepared by Cali Energy, October 16, 2026. This article is for general educational purposes only and is not legal, tax, financial, engineering, or utility advice. Rates, incentives, codes, permit requirements, equipment specifications, prices, and program terms may change; figures and timelines are estimates, not guarantees. Confirm current requirements with the applicable utility, AHJ, program administrator, manufacturer, or a licensed professional. See our Content Disclaimer. Cali Energy · 19201 Parthenia St, Unit E, Northridge, CA 91324 · CSLB #1032379 (B, C-10, C-39)