llms.txt: The Complete Implementation Guide for 2026
What llms.txt does, what it doesn't, which AI tools read it, and how to write a spec-compliant file that helps assistants find your most important pages.
llms.txt is a proposed standard — introduced by Jeremy Howard of Answer.AI in September 2024 — for a single, curated markdown file at the root of your site that points large language models to your most important, cleanest content. Think of it as a hand-built sitemap written for assistants rather than crawlers.
What llms.txt does — and what it doesn't
It does: give an assistant a curated, prioritized list of your key URLs with short descriptions, in clean markdown, so it doesn't have to guess which of your thousands of pages matter.
It doesn't: replace robots.txt (crawl permissions), replace your XML sitemap (full URL inventory for search crawlers), or guarantee inclusion in any model's answers. It complements those files; it does not supersede them.
Anatomy of a spec-compliant file
The format is deliberately simple: an # H1 with your site name, an optional blockquote summary, then ## H2 sections containing markdown link lists. Optional sections can be marked ## Optional so a model can skip them under a tight context budget.
# SearchChamp
> The unified SEO and AI Visibility platform — plan, write, rank, and get
> cited by AI answer engines.
## Core pages
- [Features](/features): Everything SearchChamp does, by surface
- [Pricing](/pricing): Plans and what each includes
- [Free SEO tools](/free-seo-tools): Six tools, no account needed
## Guides
- [AI Visibility guide](/resources/guides/the-complete-ai-visibility-guide-2026): Pillar guide
- [Modern keyword research](/resources/guides/modern-keyword-research-2026): 2026 methodology
## Optional
- [Glossary](/glossary): Definitions of SEO and AI-search terms
Implementation checklist
- Create a markdown file and serve it at
https://yourdomain.com/llms.txt. - Open with an
# H1site name and a one-line>summary of what you do. - Group your most important URLs under a handful of
## H2sections. - Give every link a short, plain-English description after the colon.
- Move nice-to-have links under an
## Optionalheading. - Keep descriptions factual and current — stale claims erode trust.
- Re-generate it whenever your core pages or positioning change.
Frequently asked questions
Where does llms.txt go?
At the root of your domain: https://yourdomain.com/llms.txt. Serve it as plain text or markdown, the same way you serve robots.txt.
Is llms.txt the same as robots.txt?
No. robots.txt tells crawlers what they may and may not fetch. llms.txt does the opposite job — it proactively points assistants to your best content. They serve different purposes and you should ship both.
Do all AI tools read llms.txt?
Not yet — adoption is still growing and it is a proposed standard rather than a universal one. Because it's low-cost and low-risk, the pragmatic move is to publish one now so you're covered for the tools that do honour it.
How often should I update it?
Whenever your core pages, products, or positioning change. Treat it like a curated landing index, not a set-and-forget file — an out-of-date llms.txt pointing at dead or stale pages works against you.