Should you add an llms.txt file to your website?
George · 4 min read
The short answer: llms.txt is a plain text summary of your site for AI tools. It is a proposal, not an official standard, and adding it does not guarantee that any assistant will read or cite you. It is still worth adding because it is cheap and harmless, but clear pages that answer questions plainly matter more.
More people now ask AI assistants for product recommendations instead of searching the web directly. That has founders asking a new question: how do I make my site easy for AI tools to understand? One suggestion you will see often is to add an llms.txt file.
Here is what it is, what it is likely to do for you, and how to add one without overthinking it.
What llms.txt is
llms.txt is a plain markdown file placed at the root of a website, at an address like yoursite.com/llms.txt. It was proposed in 2024 in the llms.txt proposal as a way to give language models a short, clean overview of a site: what it is, and links to the most important pages, written in a format that is easy to read without navigation, ads, or scripts.
It is similar in spirit to robots.txt and sitemap.xml, but its job is different. robots.txt tells crawlers what they may access. A sitemap lists your pages. llms.txt summarizes your site for a reader that wants context quickly.
What it can and cannot do
Be clear-eyed about this. llms.txt is a proposal, not an official standard, and AI companies have not committed to using it. Adding the file does not guarantee that any assistant will read it, cite you, or recommend your product.
So why bother? Because it is cheap, harmless, and useful in other ways:
- It forces you to write a clear, short description of your product and its main pages.
- Tools and agents that do look for it get an accurate summary instead of guessing from your homepage.
- Some developer tools and documentation sites already use it so AI coding assistants can read their docs more easily.
Think of it as tidy documentation for a new kind of reader, not as a ranking trick.
What actually helps AI tools understand your product
The same things that help people and search engines:
- A clear homepage that says what the product does and who it is for in the first lines.
- Pages that answer real questions: pricing, features, comparisons, and how it works.
- Mentions on other sites, such as launch pages, reviews, and articles that describe your product accurately.
- Pages that can be read without JavaScript tricks, so crawlers can see the content.
An llms.txt file supports this work; it does not replace it.
How to write one
The proposed format is simple markdown:
- A heading with your product name.
- A short quote block with a one or two sentence summary.
- A few paragraphs of extra context if useful.
- Sections of links, each with a short note about what the page contains.
For example:
# Pocketplan
> Pocketplan helps freelancers plan their week in two minutes.
## Docs
- Getting started: how to set up your first week
- Pricing: plans and what each includes
Keep it short and accurate. Describe what exists today, not features you plan to build.
How to add it
Save the file as llms.txt and serve it from the root of your domain as plain text. Most frameworks and hosts let you place it in the public folder. Check that it opens in a browser at yoursite.com/llms.txt.
If you would rather not write it by hand, the free llms.txt generator reads your website and drafts a file you can edit and download.
Remember to update it when your product changes. An outdated summary is worse than none.
Where launch pages fit in
AI assistants learn about products partly from what other sites say about them. A launch page with a clear description, categories, and a link to your site is one more accurate mention of your product on the web. ShipDesk.dev also publishes its own llms.txt listing live launches, so tools that read it can find your product with its description.
The short version
- llms.txt is a proposed markdown summary of your site for AI tools.
- It is not an official standard, and there is no guarantee any assistant uses it.
- It is quick to add and a good exercise in describing your product clearly.
- Clear pages and accurate mentions elsewhere matter more.
- Add it, keep it short and current, and move on to the work that matters most.