What llms.txt is
Jeremy Howard proposed llms.txt in September 2024, and llmstxt.org published version 2 of the format in August 2026. It's a plain Markdown file named llms.txt, usually at the site's root, such as yoursite.com/llms.txt. llmstxt.org
| Part | What it holds | Required? |
|---|---|---|
| A title line (H1) | The site's or project's name | Yes, the only required part |
| A quote (blockquote) | A one-line summary of what you do | No |
| Notes | Any detail that helps read the rest; anything but headings | No |
| Sections (H2) of links | Each key page's title, linked to its address, with a short note | No |
| An “Optional” section | Links a tool can skip when it has little room, such as blog posts | No |
Who uses it
- AI labs publish their own: according to llmstxt.org, OpenAI, Anthropic and Google publish llms.txt files for their developer documentation.
- Browsers check for it: llmstxt.org says Chrome's Lighthouse looks for one in its checks for agentic browsing.
- Platforms make it: documentation and website tools such as Mintlify, GitBook, Yoast SEO, AIOSEO and Wix can generate one.
- Mostly for answering on demand: llmstxt.org says it's mainly used by AI tools answering questions there and then, rather than for training.
What it doesn't do
It isn't a ranking switch for search. Google's guidance for its AI features says: “You don't need to create new machine readable files, AI text files, or markup to appear in these features.” Its page doesn't mention llms.txt at all. Google: AI features and your website
- It doesn't replace robots.txt, which says what crawlers may fetch.
- It doesn't replace your sitemap, which lists every page for search engines.
- It doesn't make a thin page useful: it points tools to pages, and the pages still have to answer the question.
Does your website need one?
| If your site… | Then |
|---|---|
| Has documentation, a help centre or many pages | Yes: it helps AI tools find the right page quickly |
| Is a small business site | Nice to have: it takes minutes and costs nothing |
| Isn't crawlable, or has little text | Fix that first: llms.txt can't help pages tools can't read |
The honest answer for most businesses: add one, because it's cheap and low-risk, but spend more of your time on clear pages that answer what customers ask.
How to make one
- Step 1
Generate a draft
From your sitemap and your pages' own titles and descriptions, with our free llms.txt generator, or your website platform if it has one.
- Step 2
Read it through
Fix descriptions that are missing or vague, remove pages that don't help, and put less important links under Optional.
- Step 3
Upload it to your root
So it opens at yoursite.com/llms.txt. llmstxt.org also allows one under a path, such as /docs/llms.txt, for part of a site.
- Step 4
Keep it current
Regenerate it when you add or rename important pages.
What matters more for AI answers
Google's advice for its AI features is the same as for search: pages that are indexed and can show a snippet, crawling allowed in robots.txt and by your host or CDN, internal links that make pages easy to find, important content in text rather than images, and structured data that matches what's on the page. Google: AI features and your website
Check how your own site looks to an AI with our free website AI readiness checker.
Your own AI agent, on your own site
llms.txt helps other people's AI tools find your pages. An AI chatbot of your own reads them directly: HeyKiko turns the pages you choose and your documents into its knowledge base, and answers your customers from it on your website, WhatsApp and Telegram. HeyKiko publishes its own llms.txt too.
Sources
Checked on 5 November 2026. We make HeyKiko, which this guide uses as its example.
