llms.txt
A proposed text file at the root of a website that gives AI tools a short, plain summary of the site and links to its most useful pages.
llms.txt is a proposed standard, described at llmstxt.org, for a Markdown file at yoursite.com/llms.txt. It gives large language models, the technology behind tools like ChatGPT and Claude, a short summary of what your site is about and a list of links to the pages that matter most.
Think of it as a cover letter for AI: who you are, what you offer and where the best information lives.
How it differs from robots.txt
robots.txt tells crawlers what they may visit. llms.txt doesn’t control access at all. It only offers a helpful summary. They do different jobs, and a site can have both.
Why it matters to a small business
It’s early days. llms.txt is a proposal, not an official standard, and AI companies haven’t all said whether or how they use it. Adding one is low cost and low risk, but it won’t make up for weak pages, inconsistent business details or a blocked site.
The things that clearly help AI understand your business are still clear pages that answer real questions, consistent name, address and phone everywhere (see NAP consistency), schema markup and a complete Google Business Profile.
Example
A physical therapy clinic adds an llms.txt file with two sentences about who they are and where they practice, followed by links to their services, insurance information, location pages and FAQs. It takes a few minutes and is updated whenever a key page changes.
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