Guide · Updated
llms.txt guide
llms.txt is a plain text file at the root of a website that tells AI systems what the site is and which pages matter most. It sits next to robots.txt and sitemap.xml and replaces neither. For a SaaS company, it is a short, honest map of the product, the docs, and the pricing, written for a language model reader.
What is llms.txt?
llms.txt is a Markdown file served at /llms.txt that summarizes a website for AI readers: a one line description, a few sentences of context, and grouped links to the most useful pages, each with a short note. It was proposed in 2024 as a convention, not a standard, and AI tools and agents increasingly read it when they visit a site.
The point is clarity. An AI system reading your homepage sees navigation, animations, and marketing copy. Reading llms.txt, it sees exactly what you would tell it if you could.
What should llms.txt contain?
Include a one sentence summary of the product, who it's for, and links to the pages that answer real buyer and support questions: product overview, pricing, docs, getting started, comparisons, and policies. Keep links absolute, notes short, and sections easy to scan.
# Ledgerloop
> Invoicing for small agencies: recurring invoices, late fees, and payment reminders.
Ledgerloop is for agencies of 1 to 50 people who bill clients monthly.
## Product
- [Pricing](https://example.com/pricing): Plans, limits, and the free trial.
- [Getting started](https://help.example.com/getting-started): Create your first invoice.
## Docs
- [Recurring invoices](https://help.example.com/recurring-invoices): Bill clients on a schedule.
- [Late fees](https://help.example.com/late-fees): Add fees to overdue invoices.This example uses Ledgerloop, the invoicing SaaS we use in examples. A companion llms-full.txt can hold a longer version with more detail.
How is llms.txt different from sitemap.xml and robots.txt?
Each file has one job. robots.txt says what crawlers may fetch. sitemap.xml lists every page you want indexed. llms.txt explains which pages matter and why, in words a language model can use. You still need all three.
| File | Audience | Job |
|---|---|---|
| robots.txt | Crawlers | Allow or block paths |
| sitemap.xml | Search engines | List every indexable URL |
| llms.txt | AI systems and agents | Explain the site and point to key pages |
If robots.txt blocks AI crawlers, llms.txt won't help them. Check both together.
What should you avoid in llms.txt?
Don't stuff keywords, list private URLs, or make claims the linked pages don't support. AI systems may repeat what the file says, so a wrong price or a feature you dropped gets repeated too. Treat it as a source of truth, not a hidden landing page.
- Don't list every page; that's the sitemap's job.
- Don't include login, dashboard, or staging URLs.
- Don't write marketing superlatives an AI will quote back as fact.
- Don't let it go stale: update it when pricing, positioning, or key docs change.
How do you keep llms.txt accurate?
Generate it from the same source as your site where you can, so a new docs page or a price change updates it automatically. If it's hand written, review it whenever pricing or positioning changes, and link the pages that hold the details instead of copying numbers that can drift.
The same rule applies to your docs as a whole: AI systems describe your product using whatever your public pages say. Stale docs produce stale AI answers about you.
How does usedocs use llms.txt?
usedocs publishes llms.txt and llms-full.txt for its own site, built from the same content as the pages. Every help center hosted on usedocs gets its own llms.txt, a Markdown copy of every page at the same path with .md, and a Copy page menu that opens articles in ChatGPT, Claude, or Perplexity, or connects them to Cursor.
FAQ
Is llms.txt a search ranking factor?
No search engine treats it as a ranking factor. It helps AI systems and agents understand your site; it doesn't change your Google rankings.
Should llms.txt include every page?
No. Include the important pages with short notes. sitemap.xml handles the complete list.
Where should llms.txt live?
At the site root, /llms.txt. A longer llms-full.txt can sit next to it and be linked from it.
Does llms.txt replace robots.txt?
No. robots.txt still controls what crawlers may fetch. If it blocks AI crawlers, llms.txt can't be read.