Google Search Console can't read the sitemap

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AI-generated summary

CamilleRoux reports that Google Search Console is unable to read sitemap_1.xml despite it being valid and accessible, while sitemap_recent.xml is processed correctly. The main sitemap sitemap.xml is indexed properly and references both files. Bing reads both sitemaps without issue, indicating the problem is specific to Google. Despite multiple checks—validating the XML, confirming HTTP 200 responses, testing with Googlebot user-agent, and verifying robots.txt—no errors are found in the sitemap itself. The issue appears to be a delay or partial processing in Google Search Console, as the sitemap index is accepted but sitemap_1.xml is not appearing in the list of processed sitemaps. CamilleRoux shares detailed technical checks confirming the sitemap is functional, suggesting the problem lies within Google’s indexing system rather than the sitemap’s structure or server configuration. Arkshine notes a similar past issue and suggests reviewing Google’s documentation, though no specific error details are provided in Search Console. CamilleRoux concludes the issue is likely a lag in Google’s processing.

1

Hi!

It looks like Google Search Console can’t read one of the sitemaps. The main sitemap sitemap.xml (https://forum.pragmaticentrepreneurs.com/sitemap.xml) is read correctly, but only sitemap_recent.xml is imported.

The image shows a webpage interface with sitemaps data, including a date, number of discovered pages, and videos, and a button for treated indexes. (Captioned by AI)
The image shows a webpage interface with sitemaps data, including a date, number of discovered pages, and videos, and a button for treated indexes. (Captioned by AI)2310×1278 206 KB

If I try to add sitemap_1.xml by myself to Google Search Console, I get an error. If I try it in the validator, it looks good.

The image shows a screenshot of a sitemap page for "https://forum.pragmatic-centrepr.eu/sitemap_1.xml" with a date of 01/04/2025, indicating zero pages and videos discovered, and an error message stating "Impossible de lire le sitemap" (Unable to read the sitemap). (Captioned by AI)
The image shows a screenshot of a sitemap page for "https://forum.pragmatic-centrepr.eu/sitemap_1.xml" with a date of 01/04/2025, indicating zero pages and videos discovered, and an error message stating "Impossible de lire le sitemap" (Unable to read the sitemap). (Captioned by AI)2306×862 58.7 KB

Do you have any idea why GSE can’t read sitemap_1.xml?

Thanks for the help.

EDIT:
Bing is reading both sitemaps correctly, so it looks specific to Google.

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Also, everything is fine with I try to inspect sitemap_1.xml

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3

It looks like you had the same issue last year: Troubleshooting sitemap indexing issues in Google Search Console.

Did it eventually work?

4

Just saw I already posted a question about this :slight_smile: But no I didn’t get a solution.

Let me know if I can give more info to help.

5

I have no idea, either.

The URL is accessible to me. I tried various tools to validate the XML, no issue. Reading Sitemaps report - Search Console Help, you should see a detail page below the error that tells you what’s wrong (doesn’t look like the case for you, though).

At the very least, I would encourage you to read this article. You might find a clue.

6

Indeed, I’ve no detail about the error. I tried to inspect the URL as they said, but not error here :frowning:

Let me know if I can do something else to help.

7

Update

I found the correct sitemap endpoint and it’s behaving normally for Googlebot:

  • https://forum.pragmaticentrepreneurs.com/sitemap.xml

It’s a valid sitemap index and it references:

  • https://forum.pragmaticentrepreneurs.com/sitemap_recent.xml
  • https://forum.pragmaticentrepreneurs.com/sitemap_1.xml

What I tested

  • Googlebot access: sitemap.xml, sitemap_recent.xml, and sitemap_1.xml all return HTTP/2 200 with a Googlebot user-agent, and the body is real XML (not an HTML challenge page).
  • Headers / content type:
    • sitemap.xml: Content-Type: application/xml; charset=utf-8
    • sitemap_recent.xml + sitemap_1.xml: Content-Type: text/xml; charset=utf-8
    • Responses include x-discourse-route: sitemap/* and x-discourse-crawler-view: true (served by Discourse in crawler mode).
  • IPv4 + IPv6: both return 200 on sitemap.xml.
  • Stability: I fetched each sitemap 20 times in a row with a Googlebot UA — no 403/429/5xx.
    • Typical response times were ~0.17–0.28s for sitemap.xml, ~0.19–0.60s for sitemap_recent.xml, and mostly ~0.45–0.99s for sitemap_1.xml (one slower response at ~2.9s, still 200).
  • robots.txt: includes Sitemap: https://forum.pragmaticentrepreneurs.com/sitemap.xml and doesn’t block /sitemap*.xml.

Search Console status

In Google Search Console, the sitemap index processing shows as successful, but only
https://forum.pragmaticentrepreneurs.com/sitemap_recent.xml is currently listed/recognized under “Sitemaps read”.
sitemap_1.xml is still not listed there.

Where this leaves things

From the server side everything looks fine, so this feels like a Search Console-side lag or partial processing: Google is reading the index and at least one child sitemap, but hasn’t surfaced the second one yet in the UI.

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