What is llms.txt?
llms.txt is a plain-text file placed at your domain root (e.g., yoursite.com/llms.txt) that provides AI systems with context about your website. Where robots.txt tells crawlers what they may crawl, llms.txt tells them how to understand what they find.
The format was proposed by Jeremy Howard of Answer.AI in 2024. No major AI lab has committed to reading it, so treat it as a map for AI agents rather than a ranking lever (here is what the evidence says). The newest releases on the Pressonify platform are listed in our live llms.txt.
llms.txt Structure
A well-structured llms.txt includes:
---
version: 1.0
lastModified: 2026-01-03T12:00:00Z
---
# Your Site Name
> One-line description of what you do
## About
Expanded description of your expertise and authority.
## Key Pages
- [Page Title](URL) - Description
- [Another Page](URL) - Description
## Topics We Cover
- Topic 1
- Topic 2
## Contact
- Email: [email protected]
Keep llms.txt concise and link out to fuller content.
llms.txt vs llms-full.txt
The two-file approach serves different purposes:
- llms.txt: Quick context for AI systems. Site overview, key pages, contact.
- llms-full.txt: An optional extended companion with fuller content, used by some documentation sites.
Together, they form a 'triumvirate' with robots.txt:
- robots.txt: What to crawl
- llms.txt: How to understand it
- llms-full.txt: Deep content for RAG systems
For complete optimization, combine with Schema.org markup and the full AI Discovery Protocol.
Best Practices
Maximize llms.txt effectiveness:
- Follow the spec layout: An H1 title, a one-line blockquote summary, then H2 sections of links
- Lead with specifics: State what you do and what you know first-hand
- Link key pages: Help AI systems find your most important content
- Update regularly: Refresh lastModified when content changes significantly
- Include contact info: AI systems can recommend reaching out to you
- Keep it human-readable: llms.txt should make sense to humans too
Integration with ADP
llms.txt is one of the endpoints in the AI Discovery Protocol (ADP). For complete AI discoverability, combine llms.txt with:
- /.well-known/ai.json: Machine-readable manifest
- /sitemap.xml: Standard XML sitemap with accurate lastmod dates
- /feed.json: JSON Feed for real-time content updates
- /knowledge-graph.json: Schema.org entity relationships
Each file gives crawlers and agents a different, cheap way to find and understand your content. Check out our live llms.txt for an example.