What Is llms.txt? | CrawlReady AI
Explains the llms.txt convention for AI systems — purpose, format, and how it differs from robots.txt and sitemap.xml.
Some guides may be AI-assisted and are always human-reviewed for accuracy before publish. See our Google generative AI search guide and Google's AI content guidance.
llms.txt is a markdown-style text file at your domain root that highlights the most important pages and a short site summary for AI assistants and crawlers.
llms.txt vs robots.txt vs sitemap.xml
- robots.txt — crawl permissions (Allow/Disallow)
- sitemap.xml — machine-readable list of URLs for search engines
- llms.txt — human- and AI-readable summary of what your site is about
When to use llms.txt
Use it if you publish content you want AI systems to understand clearly: SaaS products, documentation sites, agencies, and content-heavy marketing sites. See how to create llms.txt for a full walkthrough.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who created llms.txt?
The llms.txt convention was proposed by the web community to help LLMs find curated site summaries. Adoption is growing among AI-friendly publishers.
How is llms.txt different from robots.txt?
robots.txt controls crawl permission. llms.txt describes site structure and priority content for AI systems — it does not block or allow crawlers.
Important disclaimer
This guide is for educational purposes only. No tool or technique guarantees search rankings, AI inclusion, or specific traffic results. Refer to official documentation from search engines and AI providers for current policies.
