What is llms.txt?
llms.txt is a proposed standard, first suggested in 2024, for a Markdown file at yourdomain.com/llms.txt. It gives large language models a short summary of your website and a curated list of links to your most useful pages, in a format that's much easier for a machine to read than a full web page with menus, scripts and adverts.
Think of it as a hand-written map of your site for AI tools, where a sitemap is a complete list of every URL.
What does an llms.txt file look like?
The format is simple Markdown: your site's name as a heading, a one-line summary in a quote, then sections of links with a short description of each.
# Acme Plumbing
> Emergency and planned plumbing for homes and small businesses in Leeds, with 24/7 call-outs.
## Services
- [Boiler repair](https://acme.example/boiler-repair): Same-day boiler repairs and servicing
- [Emergency plumber](https://acme.example/emergency): 24/7 call-outs, typical arrival times and prices
## Help
- [Prices](https://acme.example/prices): Call-out fees and hourly rates
- [FAQs](https://acme.example/faq): Guarantees, payment and booking questions
## Optional
- [About us](https://acme.example/about): Team, history and accreditationsA section called Optional marks links an AI tool can skip if it needs to keep things short.
llms.txt vs robots.txt vs sitemap.xml
- robots.txt says which crawlers may visit which parts of your site. It's about access.
- sitemap.xml lists every URL you want search engines to find. It's about completeness.
- llms.txt summarises your site and highlights the pages that matter most. It's about understanding.
Does llms.txt actually work?
Here's the honest answer. Google has said it doesn't use llms.txt for Search or for AI Overviews, and that the file won't help or hurt your rankings. Adoption studies suggest only around one in ten websites has one. No major AI search engine has confirmed it uses the file when choosing which sources to cite.
Where it does help today is with AI tools and agents that are pointed at a site directly, such as coding assistants reading developer documentation, and tools that specifically look for the file. It's a small, low-risk bet on where AI browsing is heading.
How to create an llms.txt file
- Write a one-line summary of what your business does, for whom and where.
- Pick the 5 to 20 pages that answer the questions customers ask most: services, prices, FAQs, policies.
- Give each link a short, plain-English description.
- Save it as llms.txt and upload it to the root of your site so it loads at yourdomain.com/llms.txt.
- Update it when you add or remove important pages.
If you don't want the file itself showing up in search results, you can send an X-Robots-Tag: noindex header for it. See our llms.txt fix guide for platform-specific steps.
What is llms-full.txt?
llms-full.txt is an optional companion file that contains the full text of your key pages in one Markdown document, so an AI tool can read everything in one request. It's mostly used by documentation sites. Most small business websites don't need one.
Pagelyt checks whether your site has an llms.txt file as part of its GEO score. Run a free scan to see where you stand.
Frequently asked questions
Is llms.txt an official standard?
No. It's a community proposal, not a standard from a body like the W3C or IETF. Support depends on each AI tool choosing to read it.
Does Google use llms.txt?
Google has said it doesn't use llms.txt for Google Search or AI Overviews, and that having one won't help or hurt your rankings.
Will adding llms.txt hurt my SEO?
No. It's a separate file that search engines don't use for ranking. The only cost is the time it takes to write and maintain.
Where should I put my llms.txt file?
At the root of your domain, so it loads at yourdomain.com/llms.txt, the same place as robots.txt.
Can llms.txt stop AI using my content?
No. llms.txt is a guide, not access control. To control which AI crawlers can visit your site, use robots.txt or firewall rules.