What is llms.txt?
llms.txt is a proposed Markdown file that gives AI tools a short map of your site. What goes in it, how to make one and who reads it.
llms.txt, in one paragraph.
llms.txt is a plain Markdown file placed at the root of a website, at /llms.txt. It gives large language models a short summary of the site and a curated list of links to its most useful pages. It was proposed by Jeremy Howard in September 2024 and is not an official web standard.
How llms.txt works
The idea is simple. Web pages are full of menus, scripts and ads. An AI tool reading them wastes effort on clutter. llms.txt hands it a clean, short guide instead.
The proposal at llmstxt.org sets out a fixed order:
- An H1 with the name of the site or project. This is the only required part.
- A blockquote with a short summary of what the site is.
- Optional paragraphs or lists with extra context, but no headings.
- H2 sections that each hold a list of links, written as
[name](url): notes.
A section called "Optional" is used for secondary links. An AI tool can skip those when it needs a shorter context. The proposal also suggests offering clean Markdown copies of key pages, at the same address with .md added.
What goes in an llms.txt file
For a B2B company, a useful file is short. It might include:
- One line on what you sell and who it is for.
- Links to product or service pages, with a sentence on each.
- Links to pricing, documentation and key guides.
- An "Optional" section for the blog, case pages or older material.
Here is a small example:
# Example Co
> Example Co makes invoicing software for small accounting firms in the US.
## Product
- [Features](https://example.com/features.md): what the software does
- [Pricing](https://example.com/pricing.md): plans and limits
## Optional
- [Blog](https://example.com/blog.md): guides for accounting firms
llms.txt vs robots.txt
People often mix these up.
| robots.txt | llms.txt | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Tells crawlers what they may and may not fetch | Gives AI tools a summary and a list of key pages |
| Status | Long-established, widely honored | A proposal, adoption is uneven |
| Format | Plain-text rules | Markdown |
| Controls access? | Yes, for crawlers that respect it | No |
If you want AI tools to see your site, robots.txt matters more. For example, OpenAI says sites that block OAI-SearchBot will not be shown in ChatGPT search answers.
llms.txt vs llms-full.txt
llms.txt is an index. It points to pages. llms-full.txt puts the full text of those pages into one Markdown file.
Mintlify, a documentation platform, says it developed llms-full.txt with its customer Anthropic. It is most common on software documentation sites. For a marketing site, the short llms.txt is usually enough.
How to create an llms.txt file
- List the ten to twenty pages that best explain your business.
- Write one plain sentence for each page.
- Write the H1 and a one-line summary in the blockquote.
- Group the links under a few H2 headings.
- Save it as llms.txt and upload it to your site root.
Most site builders let you upload a file to the root. On a Next.js site, a file in the public folder is served at the root.
How to check your llms.txt
Open yourdomain.com/llms.txt in a browser. You should see plain text, not a 404 or a styled page. Check that every link works and that the order matches the proposal. Then review it each quarter, when pages change.
Do AI assistants actually use llms.txt?
Be honest with yourself here. Adoption is uneven. In June 2025, Google's John Mueller wrote that "no AI system currently uses llms.txt". He said chatbots fetch pages directly, not this file.
Some developer tools read llms.txt, mostly on documentation sites. People also paste the link into a chat to give a model context. So it is cheap to add, but it will not get you named in AI answers by itself.
Best practices
- Keep it short and current. A stale file does more harm than none.
- Write for a reader who knows nothing about you.
- Link to pages that answer real buyer questions.
- Do not stuff it with keywords. It is not a ranking trick.
- Make sure robots.txt lets AI search crawlers in first.
FAQ
Is llms.txt required for SEO?
No. Google does not use it for ranking. It is an optional file for AI tools.
Where do I put llms.txt?
At the root of your domain, so it loads at yourdomain.com/llms.txt.
Does llms.txt replace robots.txt?
No. robots.txt controls crawler access. llms.txt only describes your site.
Should I make an llms-full.txt too?
Only if you have long documentation that people load into AI tools. Most marketing sites do not need one.
Will llms.txt get my business mentioned in ChatGPT?
Not on its own. Being cited depends on clear pages, crawler access and mentions on other trusted sites.
How AI Coworkers helps
AI Coworkers (aicoworkers.com) is a B2B marketing service: our strategists set up AI coworkers that do your SEO, AI answers, LinkedIn, lead research and competitor tracking every week, guided by your own numbers, with your team approving everything. Our AI answers checks ask ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Perplexity your buyers' questions and record which pages they cite, so you can see what actually works.
