AI Search · 14 February 2026 · 6 min read
llms.txt: what it is and how to write one
llms.txt is a proposed standard that gives AI systems a curated map of your most useful content. Here is what to include, what to skip, and how it works alongside robots.txt.
Quick answer
llms.txt is a markdown file at your domain root that lists your most useful pages with short descriptions, helping AI systems find authoritative content quickly. It does not control access — robots.txt does that — and it is not yet an official standard, but it is cheap to add and already read by several AI tools.
What goes in the file
A good llms.txt contains
- An H1 with your brand name and a one-line description of what you do
- A short summary paragraph stating your services, markets and differentiators
- Grouped links to your core service, pricing, documentation and FAQ pages
- A one-line description for each link explaining what question it answers
- Contact details and a canonical statement of your business facts
llms.txt vs robots.txt vs sitemap.xml
| File | Purpose | Who reads it |
|---|---|---|
| robots.txt | Grants or blocks crawler access | All crawlers, enforced by convention |
| sitemap.xml | Lists every indexable URL | Search engine crawlers |
| llms.txt | Curates the best pages with context | AI tools that choose to support it |
Honest caveats
Do not over-invest
llms.txt takes 30 minutes and may help. It is not a substitute for crawlable content, schema or authority. If you only have time for one thing, add answer-first summaries to your top 20 pages instead.
Frequently asked questions
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