Updated July 29, 2026 · Proposal status checked against llmstxt.org

What Is llms.txt? Proposal, Format & Limits

TL;DR

llms.txt is a proposal for publishing a concise Markdown overview at yourdomain.com/llms.txt. An AI application may use it as curated context, but the proposal does not require applications to fetch or process it. It is not a sitemap or access-control file, and the proposal does not make it a ranking or citation signal. Google Search explicitly says it does not use the file.

The Current Status

The project's own documentation calls llms.txt a proposal to standardize how websites make selected information available at inference time. It also says the proposal does not specify how applications process the file. That distinction matters: a public format can be useful without being an adopted standard.

What you can safely claim

You can publish an llms.txt file in the proposed format. You cannot infer from its existence that a particular crawler reads it, that content is indexed, or that a page will receive more AI citations.

Google's July 2026 generative Search guidance is explicit: Google Search does not use llms.txt, and publishing one neither helps nor harms visibility or rankings in Google Search. A test therefore needs to name the other application it is intended for.

Proposed File Format

The proposal uses Markdown: an H1 for the project or site, an optional blockquote summary, explanatory text, and H2 sections containing lists of links. The example below is intentionally small so it can be maintained.

# Example Company

> Official product documentation and support resources.

## Documentation
- [Getting started](https://example.com/docs/getting-started): Core setup
- [API reference](https://example.com/docs/api): Current API documentation

## Optional
- [Changelog](https://example.com/changelog): Product changes

Use absolute, canonical URLs and descriptions that remain true outside the surrounding page. If you also publish Markdown versions, keep them synchronized and avoid contradicting the canonical HTML.

llms.txt vs robots.txt vs sitemap.xml

File	Role	Status
robots.txt	Crawler access directives for compliant crawlers	Established crawler mechanism
sitemap.xml	URL discovery and update hints	Supported by major search engines
llms.txt	Optional curated context in the proposed format	Proposal; application behavior is unspecified

Keep robots.txt, sitemaps, crawlable links, canonical HTML, and normal indexing controls correct regardless of whether you experiment with llms.txt.

A Responsible Implementation Test

Choose a small set of current, authoritative pages.
Publish a valid UTF-8 text file at the site root using the proposed syntax.
Do not expose private URLs, credentials, drafts, or pages blocked for a reason.
Keep the listed URLs available through normal crawlable links and sitemaps.
Check server logs for requests to /llms.txt and record the requesting user agent.
Measure citations or referrals separately; do not attribute a change without a controlled baseline.
Remove or update stale entries when the linked source changes.

Primary Sources

Continue Learning

Frequently Asked Questions

llms.txt is a proposal for placing a Markdown-formatted overview at /llms.txt so an AI application can find a curated set of useful links and context. It is not a web standard or a replacement for normal HTML.

No. robots.txt is a crawler-control mechanism. llms.txt does not grant access, block access, or override a crawler's published controls; the proposal describes optional context for applications that choose to use it.

Do not assume support. Google says Google Search ignores llms.txt and that it neither helps nor harms Search visibility or rankings. For any other provider, check current first-party documentation and server logs before claiming adoption.

There is no general ranking or citation guarantee. If you publish the file, treat it as an experiment and measure whether named applications request it or whether tracked outcomes change.

The proposal encourages links to concise, LLM-friendly resources and mentions optional Markdown versions, but an implementation should keep the canonical web pages accurate and accessible. Do not create stale duplicate copies you cannot maintain.

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