What is llms.txt, and how do you create one?

llms.txt is a plain-text Markdown file at the root of your website (yoursite.com/llms.txt) that gives AI systems a short, curated summary of who you are and links to your most important pages. It is a proposed convention, not an official standard, but it costs minutes to publish and removes guesswork for any AI tool that reads it.

The format

An llms.txt file starts with an H1 containing your name, then a one-line summary in a blockquote, optional notes, and H2 sections listing key links with a short description each.

# Lone Star Drain Co

> Licensed plumbers in Austin, Texas. 24/7 emergency service, drain cleaning and water heater repair.

Service areas: Austin, Round Rock, Cedar Park, Pflugerville
Contact: (512) 555-0142

## Key pages

- [Emergency plumbing](https://example.com/emergency/): 24/7 service, typical 60-minute arrival
- [Drain cleaning](https://example.com/drain-cleaning/): causes, prices and process
- [Pricing](https://example.com/pricing/): service-call fees and common job costs

Contents of a good llms.txt

• Your exact business name, matching your website and Google Business Profile.
• A factual one-sentence description: what you do and where.
• Services, service areas and contact details.
• 10–40 of your most useful pages, each with a one-line description.

Leave out marketing slogans; this file is for machines that want facts. Build yours in a minute with the free llms.txt generator.

Publishing llms.txt on your platform

• Any host: upload llms.txt to the same folder as your homepage so it loads at /llms.txt.
• WordPress: the AIRankSurge Connector serves it automatically from your audit.
• Shopify, Wix, Squarespace: root-file support varies; use an app or redirect where available.

AIRankSurge generates a ready llms.txt from your real pages in every Fix Pack.

Does llms.txt replace robots.txt or a sitemap?

No. llms.txt does not replace robots.txt or a sitemap: robots.txt controls which crawlers may visit, sitemap.xml lists every URL for search engines, and llms.txt is a short curated summary for AI systems. Most websites benefit from publishing all three.

Sources

• The llms.txt proposal: llmstxt.org
• Google Search Central, Learn about sitemaps