GUIDE // llms.txt · AI crawler readiness · 2026
llms.txt,
explained.
A plain-text file that tells AI crawlers which content on your site matters — and how it’s organized.
It’s emerging, it’s cheap to add, and it’s easy to get wrong. Here’s what llms.txt is, how it differs from robots.txt, what goes in it, and how to make one in minutes.
$ curate · not gate · root-level /llms.txt
$ cat llms.txt
# Your Company H1 = site name
> One-line summary of what you do. the blurb
## Docs section
- [Getting started](/docs/start): setup in 5 min
- [API reference](/docs/api): endpoints + auth
## About section
- [How it works](/how-it-works)
$
// definition
llms.txt is a plain-text Markdown file at the root of your domain (/llms.txt) that tells AI crawlers and LLMs which content on your site matters most and how it’s organized — a curated map for the machines, not a gate.
// 01 · the distinction
llms.txt vs robots.txt
The single most common confusion. They’re complementary opposites — keep both.
// robots.txt
Gates access
Tells crawlers what they may and may not crawl. It’s about exclusion and access control.
// llms.txt
Guides attention
Highlights the content you want AI to understand and prioritize. It’s about curation, not control.
// 02
What goes in an llms.txt
It’s Markdown, and the format is simple:
- # Site name – a single H1 with your brand/site name.
- > Summary – a one-line blockquote describing what you do.
- ## Sections – H2 groupings (Docs, Product, About…).
- - [Links](/url): note – your most important pages, each with a short description.
Keep it curated, not exhaustive — it’s a highlight reel of your best, most useful pages, not a sitemap dump. Some sites also publish an llms-full.txt with expanded content.
// 03 · the build
How to create an llms.txt
Three steps — or skip to the generator and do it in two minutes.
-
01
List your best pages
Pick the pages you’d want an AI to send people to: docs, key product/solution pages, your strongest guides.
-
02
Write the map
Add the H1 name, a one-line summary, H2 sections, and each link with a short note on what it covers.
-
03
Publish at the root
Serve it as plain text at /llms.txt, and keep it updated as your best content changes.
// 04 · the honest part
Does llms.txt actually help?
Straight answer: there’s no confirmed evidence that llms.txt directly lifts rankings or guarantees AI citations today, and not every major AI crawler has committed to reading it. Treat it as low-cost AI-readability hygiene — cheap insurance on an emerging standard — not a ranking hack.
What actually wins AI citations is the harder stuff: authority, brand signals across the sources models read, and genuinely citable content. That’s generative engine optimization — llms.txt is one small, sensible piece of it.
// FAQ
Straight answers
What is llms.txt? +
How is llms.txt different from robots.txt? +
Where do I put llms.txt? +
Does llms.txt help SEO or AI rankings? +
Is anyone actually using llms.txt yet? +
// two-minute job
Make your
llms.txt now.
Use the free generator — draft from your sitemap, edit, copy or download.