As AI search engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google’s AI Overviews became a real source of traffic, a new question appeared: how do you tell an AI model which of your pages matter, and what they’re about? One proposed answer is llms.txt - a simple file that gives large language models a clean, curated map of your site. This guide explains what it is, shows a real example, and walks through creating one.
What is llms.txt?
llms.txt is a plain-text file, published at the root of your site (yoursite.com/llms.txt), that lists your most important pages with short descriptions - written for AI models rather than for search-engine crawlers. Think of it as a cross between robots.txt and a sitemap, but curated and human-readable: instead of every URL on your site, it highlights the pages you actually want an AI to understand and cite.
It uses Markdown so models can parse the structure easily - a title, an optional summary, and sections of links with descriptions. It’s a voluntary convention: no AI engine is required to read it, much like robots.txt was voluntary in 1994. But it’s trivial to publish and gives you a clean signal in an ecosystem that’s still forming.
What an llms.txt file looks like
Here’s a minimal example for a fictional tools company:
# Acme Tools
> Acme Tools makes durable hand tools for professional builders.
## Docs
- [Getting started](https://acmetools.com/docs/start): How to set up your first tool kit.
- [Warranty](https://acmetools.com/warranty): Lifetime warranty terms and claims.
## Products
- [Hammers](https://acmetools.com/hammers): Framing and finish hammers.
- [Pricing](https://acmetools.com/pricing): Plans from $19 to $99 per month.The structure is deliberately simple: an H1 with your site name, an optional blockquote summary, then H2 sections grouping links. Each link gets a one-line description an AI could quote when answering a related question.
How to create an llms.txt file
- List your key pages. Not every URL - the ones worth citing: core product or service pages, top guides, docs, pricing.
- Write a description per link. One line that says what the page is for, in language an AI could quote verbatim. Lead with purpose, not marketing.
- Group them under headings. Docs, Products, Guides - whatever structure fits. Keep it scannable.
- Exclude the noise. Leave out thin, duplicate, noindex and utility pages. The point is to point AI at your best content, not all of it.
- Publish at the root. Save it as
llms.txtand upload it so it’s reachable atyoursite.com/llms.txt.
Tip: Write each description the way you’d want an AI to summarise the page. “Pricing: three plans from $19 to $99/mo with a 14-day free trial” is far more quotable than “Our flexible pricing options.”
Does llms.txt help SEO and AI visibility?
llms.txt won’t change your Google rankings, and it won’t get you into AI Overviews either: Google says Google Search ignores llms.txt files, and that publishing one for other services neither helps nor harms you in Google. Where it can help is with AI agents and assistants that choose to read it, mostly at the moment they answer a question rather than for training. According to the proposal’s author, thousands of sites publish an llms.txt file, documentation platforms generate one automatically, and OpenAI, Anthropic and Gemini publish llms.txt files for their own developer docs. Few AI providers document whether their assistants read other sites’ files, so treat it as a quick, low-cost extra rather than a traffic source. It pairs naturally with your sitemap and robots.txt, which matter far more.
The fast way to create one
Hand-writing llms.txt is fine for a small site. For anything larger, selecting the right pages and writing a description for each is tedious - and easy to let go stale. The Daylytix llms.txt Generator crawls your site, selects your indexable, high-value pages, writes clean descriptions, and produces a correctly formatted file ready to publish at /llms.txt - regenerated in one click whenever your content changes.
Frequently asked questions
What is llms.txt used for?
It gives AI agents and assistants that read the convention a curated map of your key pages, with descriptions. Its main use is at answer time, when a tool looks up information about your site, rather than for training.
Where do I put the llms.txt file?
At the root of your domain, reachable at yoursite.com/llms.txt, just like robots.txt.
Is llms.txt the same as a sitemap?
No. A sitemap lists every URL for search-engine crawlers; llms.txt is a shorter, curated, human-readable list written for AI models, with a description for each page.
Does llms.txt improve SEO?
No. Google says Google Search ignores llms.txt files, so it is not a ranking factor and does not affect AI Overviews. Its possible benefit is with other AI tools that choose to read it.