The short answer
llms.txt is a short text file that tells AI tools, in plain Markdown, what your site is and where the important pages are. It doesn't control crawling, it isn't read by Google Search, and it won't make ChatGPT recommend you. It is cheap to add and can help AI tools and agents that look for it, so it is worth 30 minutes, not a monthly fee.
What llms.txt is, and where it came from
Jeremy Howard proposed llms.txt on 3 September 2024 at llmstxt.org. The idea is simple: web pages are full of menus, scripts and adverts, while an AI tool helping someone wants a clean summary and a list of the pages worth reading. The proposal says the file is used on demand, when an agent needs information about a topic while helping a user. It is not a crawl list and not a ranking signal.
It has caught on most with software documentation. OpenAI's own developer docs, for example, link to an llms.txt index of their pages. For a typical service business, the file matters much less than the pages it points to.
Does OpenAI use llms.txt?
OpenAI publishes llms.txt files for its own developer documentation. The one at developers.openai.com/llms.txt is an index: a title, a one-line summary and links to a separate llms.txt for each documentation set, such as the API guides and Codex, so an AI coding tool can find the right pages quickly.
That shows the format working for documentation. It doesn't mean ChatGPT reads your llms.txt to decide what to show in search. OpenAI's crawler documentation explains ChatGPT search visibility through OAI-SearchBot and robots.txt, and doesn't mention llms.txt as part of it.
What goes in the file
- An H1 with your business or site name. This is the only required part.
- A blockquote with a one- or two-line summary: what you do, and for whom.
- Optional notes: short paragraphs or lists, with no headings. Good for limits and facts, such as areas you don't cover or services you don't offer.
- Sections that start with an H2 and list links as [name](url), each with an optional note after a colon.
- An optional section headed “Optional”, for secondary links a tool can skip when it needs a shorter summary.
# Fernhill Accounting
> Fixed-fee accounts and tax returns for limited companies in Bristol, UK.
Fees are agreed before work starts. We don't offer payroll or audits.
## Services
- [Year-end accounts](https://fernhillaccounting.example/accounts): fixed fee, filed within 10 working days of receiving records
- [Company tax returns](https://fernhillaccounting.example/tax): returns for limited companies
## About
- [Fees and terms](https://fernhillaccounting.example/fees): how our fixed fees work
- [Contact](https://fernhillaccounting.example/contact): phone, email and office hours
## Optional
- [Company history](https://fernhillaccounting.example/history)Where the file goes
Put it at the root of your domain, so it opens at https://yourdomain.com/llms.txt, the same place as robots.txt. The current version of the proposal also allows a file inside a section of a site, covering the pages under that path, but one file at the root is all most businesses need. On WordPress, Shopify or Webflow you may need an upload setting or a small plugin; on a custom site, add it to the public folder. Open the address in a browser afterwards to check it loads as plain text. There is nowhere to submit the file: tools that use it fetch it from that address when they need it.
Does llms.txt help SEO or AI search?
For Google, no. Google's guidance says you don't need to create new machine-readable files, AI text files, markup or Markdown to appear in Google Search, and that doing so will neither harm nor help your visibility or rankings. That covers AI Overviews and AI Mode, which use Google Search.
For ChatGPT search, OpenAI's crawler documentation explains visibility through OAI-SearchBot and robots.txt; it doesn't describe llms.txt as a way in. Where the file can help is with AI tools and agents that fetch it when they need a quick, clean picture of your site. That is a small, real benefit, and the honest way to describe it.
Can llms.txt get your site indexed by ChatGPT or other LLMs?
No. AI search tools find pages through their own crawlers and indexes: ChatGPT search through OAI-SearchBot, Claude through Claude-SearchBot, Perplexity through PerplexityBot, and Google's AI Overviews and AI Mode through ordinary Google Search indexing. An llms.txt file adds your pages to none of them. To be found, let those crawlers in (our Robots.txt Tester checks every one) and make sure your key pages are indexed.
llms.txt vs robots.txt vs sitemap.xml
| File | Its job | Who reads it | If it's wrong or missing |
|---|---|---|---|
| robots.txt | Says which crawlers may fetch which paths. | Search engines and AI crawlers, before they crawl. | A mistake can remove you from search or AI answers. |
| sitemap.xml | Lists the pages you want found, with update dates. | Search engines finding and recrawling pages. | New pages are found more slowly. |
| llms.txt | Summarizes your site and links your key pages. | Some AI tools and agents, when they choose to. Not Google Search. | Nothing breaks. |
If you only have time for one of these, check robots.txt. A single wrong line there can keep OAI-SearchBot or Googlebot out, and no llms.txt file will make up for it.
How to create an llms.txt file
- Write your name as the H1 and one sentence on what you do, for whom and where.
- Add two or three short notes with the facts people most often get wrong about you.
- List your five to ten most useful pages under clear H2 headings, such as Services, Pricing and About, with a short note on each.
- Put anything nice-to-have, such as company history or press, under “Optional”.
- Upload it to the root of your site and open it in a browser to check it.
- Update it when you add or remove a service, so it never points tools to pages that have changed.
Or let our free llms.txt Generator write it for you: fill in the form, then copy or download the file.
llms.txt for an online store
A store's file should point to the pages that answer buying questions, not to every product. List your main categories or collections, a few best sellers, delivery, returns and contact, and say where you ship. A catalog of thousands of products belongs in your sitemap and product feed, not in llms.txt.
# Larchmoor Home
> Handmade oak furniture and linen homeware, made in Devon and delivered across the UK.
Furniture is made to order and most pieces ship in 4 to 6 weeks. We don't ship outside the UK.
## Shop
- [Dining tables](https://larchmoorhome.example/collections/dining-tables): solid oak, for 4 to 10 people
- [Linen bedding](https://larchmoorhome.example/collections/bedding): stonewashed linen sets
- [Best sellers](https://larchmoorhome.example/collections/best-sellers)
## Help
- [Delivery](https://larchmoorhome.example/pages/delivery): UK delivery times and costs
- [Returns](https://larchmoorhome.example/pages/returns): 30-day returns on stock items
- [Contact](https://larchmoorhome.example/pages/contact)
## Optional
- [Our workshop](https://larchmoorhome.example/pages/about)On hosted platforms such as Shopify you can't always place a file at the root of the domain yourself, so you may need an app or your developer. Then keep the file in step with your collections and policies: an llms.txt that promises 30-day returns after you change them is worse than none. Ecommerce SEO covers the store pages it should point to.
Fill the right-hand column, then paste it into our free generator or a plain text file.
| Part | What to write | Your draft |
|---|---|---|
| # Name | Your business name, exactly as on your site and profiles | Not supplied |
| > Summary | What you do, for whom and where, in one or two lines | Not supplied |
| Notes | Facts people get wrong: areas, services you don't offer, how pricing works | Not supplied |
| ## Services | Links to each main service page, with a short note | Not supplied |
| ## About | Team, contact, pricing or terms pages | Not supplied |
| ## Optional | History, press, older articles | Not supplied |
What to do with your llms.txt file after publishing
- Check it opens at /llms.txt as plain text, not as a web page, and that it follows the format, with the checker in our llms.txt Generator.
- Make sure every page it links to is public and allowed in robots.txt.
- Check the pages it lists are ready to be quoted, with the AEO Checker.
- Don't expect a traffic change, and don't pay a monthly fee for it.
Questions people ask about llms.txt
Where do I put llms.txt?
At the root of your domain, so it opens at yourdomain.com/llms.txt, the same place as robots.txt. One file at the root is all most businesses need.
Can llms.txt get my site indexed by AI?
No. AI search tools find pages through their own crawlers and indexes, such as OAI-SearchBot for ChatGPT search and ordinary Google Search indexing for AI Overviews. To be found, let those crawlers in.
How do I see a website's llms.txt file?
Add /llms.txt to the end of the domain in your browser, for example yourdomain.com/llms.txt. If the site has one, it opens as plain text; the checker in our llms.txt Generator fetches and checks it for you.
Will llms.txt help my SEO?
Not in Google. Google says you don't need new AI text files or Markdown to appear in Google Search, and that they will neither harm nor help. It can help AI tools and agents that look for the file.
About this article
Fernhill Accounting and Larchmoor Home, shown in the example files, are fictional. The llms.txt format is still a proposal and may change, so we recheck llmstxt.org and the Google and OpenAI documents listed below when they are updated.