A Markdown file at /llms.txt that gives AI agents a short overview of a site with links to key pages. It's a community proposal from llmstxt.org, not an official search-engine standard.

Is llms.txt required for Google AI Overviews?

No. Google says you don't need new machine-readable files or AI text files to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode.

What is the only required part of llms.txt?

An H1 with the site or project name. A blockquote summary, detail sections and H2 link lists are optional but recommended.

Does llms.txt replace robots.txt?

No. robots.txt controls crawler access; llms.txt only describes your site. If robots.txt blocks a crawler, llms.txt won't help.

Where do I put llms.txt?

At your site root (yourdomain.com/llms.txt), or at a subpath such as /docs/llms.txt to cover only that section.

Blog

How to create an llms.txt file (with a small-business example)

Jisung Yoon · Yunju Company · 15 November 2026

Short answer: llms.txt is a plain Markdown file at yourdomain.com/llms.txt that gives AI agents a short, curated overview of your site with links to the pages that matter. It is a community proposal (llmstxt.org, first published 3 September 2024 by Jeremy Howard), not a search-engine requirement. Google says you don't need AI text files to appear in its AI features. It takes about as long to write as a good About page, though, and it doesn't replace robots.txt.

Sources checked on 15 November 2026. Links are at the end.

Why this question

On 15 November 2026, Google autocomplete for "llms.txt" suggested generator, example, what is it and vs robots.txt. It also appeared in Korean autocomplete ("llms.txt 란", "llms.txt sample").

The format, according to llmstxt.org

The proposal defines these sections, in this order:

An H1 with the name of the site or project. This is the only required section.
A blockquote with a short summary containing the key information.
Zero or more Markdown sections without headings (paragraphs, lists) with more detail.
Zero or more H2 sections containing "file lists": Markdown lists where each item is a link [name](url), optionally followed by : and a note.

By convention, an H2 named Optional holds secondary links an agent can skip. The file can sit at the site root or at a subpath (e.g. /docs/llms.txt), where it covers the pages under that path.

A small-business example

# Example Studio

> Example Studio is a two-person bookkeeping firm in Leeds, UK, serving
> sole traders and small limited companies. Fixed monthly fees, remote only.

- Prices: from £60/month, quoted in writing.
- Contact: hello@example.com (email only, reply within one business day).
- Not offered: payroll for more than 10 staff, audits.

## Services

- [Bookkeeping](https://example.com/bookkeeping/): monthly reconciliation and reports
- [Year-end accounts](https://example.com/year-end/): what's included and deadlines
- [Pricing](https://example.com/pricing/): all plans and what each includes

## Optional

- [Blog](https://example.com/blog/): guides on tax deadlines

This is a made-up business, shown only for the format. You can see our real file at /llms.txt.

llms.txt vs robots.txt vs sitemap.xml

File	What it does
`robots.txt`	Tells crawlers what they may access. This is what controls whether OAI-SearchBot or PerplexityBot can read your site (guide).
`sitemap.xml`	Lists all indexable pages for search engines.
`llms.txt`	A short, curated overview for agents to read on demand. llmstxt.org says it complements robots.txt and is not a substitute for a sitemap, or the other way round.

llms.txt does not block or allow anything. If robots.txt blocks a search crawler, adding an llms.txt won't change that.

What Google says

Google's "AI features and your website" page states that you don't need to create new machine-readable files, AI text files or special markup to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode. Treat llms.txt as optional. Some tools and agents read it, and the llmstxt.org page says Chrome's Lighthouse checks for one in its agentic browsing audits, but it is not how you get into Google's AI answers.

Tips from the proposal

Use concise, clear language and brief link descriptions.
Avoid unexplained jargon.
Test the file by asking an agent questions with only your llms.txt as a starting point.
Keep it in step with your site: same prices, same services.

Want it written for you?

Every GEO audit ($149, 48 hours) includes an llms.txt draft and ready-to-paste JSON-LD, along with the crawler and content checks that matter more. See what a GEO audit includes and all prices.

Sources

llms.txt proposal, "The /llms.txt file, v2" (Jeremy Howard; first published 2024-09-03, updated 2026-08-10): https://llmstxt.org/ (checked 2026-11-15)
Google Search Central, "AI features and your website": https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/ai-features (last updated 2025-12-10; checked 2026-11-15)
OpenAI, "Overview of OpenAI Crawlers": https://platform.openai.com/docs/bots (checked 2026-11-15)