llms.txt: what it is and how to add one in 10 minutes

robots.txt tells crawlers where they may go. llms.txt tells AI systems what they are looking at. It is a plain markdown file served at yourdomain.com/llms.txt with a short, factual summary of your site: who you are, what you offer, and links to the pages that matter.

Why bother with a convention this young

Honest answer: llms.txt is early. Not every AI system reads it yet, and nobody can promise it moves an answer today. But the trade is lopsided. It costs ten minutes, it cannot hurt, AI crawlers already request the file, and it is the one place where you, not an algorithm, write the summary of your own business. When an assistant does read it, you want your words in there.

The format

llms.txt is markdown with a loose structure: an H1 with your name, a blockquote with a one-paragraph summary, then sections with bullet points and links. A minimal template:

# Your Business Name

> One paragraph: what you do, for whom, where.

## Facts

- Founded / location / service area
- What you sell and price range
- Contact email

## Pages

- [Services](https://yourdomain.com/services): what you offer
- [Pricing](https://yourdomain.com/pricing): plans and prices
- [Contact](https://yourdomain.com/contact)

Writing rules that matter

• Facts over adjectives. "Deck builder serving Auburn, CA, projects from $8k" beats "premier outdoor living solutions".
• Keep it under a page. It is a summary, not a sitemap.
• Use absolute URLs so the links work out of context.

Where to put it

Static site: drop the file in the web root next to robots.txt. WordPress: upload it to the site root via your host's file manager, or serve it with a rewrite rule. It must answer at exactly /llms.txt with a 200, not a redirect to your 404 page. Our scan checks for it on every run, so you will know immediately whether it is being served correctly.

Quick answers

What is llms.txt?

llms.txt is a plain-text markdown file at yourdomain.com/llms.txt that summarizes your site for AI systems: what you do, key facts, and links to your most important pages.

Does llms.txt actually matter?

It is an emerging convention, not a ranking guarantee. But it costs ten minutes, several AI crawlers request it already, and it is the cheapest way to control the summary AI systems work from.