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

Short summary

llms.txt is a plain Markdown file hosted at your domain root that gives AI crawlers a curated, human-readable map of your most important pages. This guide explains the four-part format, how it differs from robots.txt and sitemap.xml, and why adding one is cheap insurance even though no major AI provider has confirmed ranking benefits. The real value is the mindset shift: writing for machine readers as an audience alongside human visitors.

• •llms.txt is a curated Markdown map of your best pages for AI crawlers, not a replacement for robots.txt or sitemap.xml
• •Format: H1 site name, blockquote summary, optional notes, H2 link sections with descriptions
• •No confirmed ranking benefit yet, but it's cheap, removes ambiguity, and signals you optimize for AI readers

Generated with AI, which can make mistakes.