What is llms.txt?
The short answer
llms.txt is a proposed plain-text file at a site's root that gives AI models a concise, curated guide to the site's most important content and links.
llms.txt, explained
It is a courtesy map for language models, similar in spirit to a sitemap for search engines. Support among AI companies varies.
Questions people ask about llms.txt
What is llms.txt?
llms.txt is a proposed plain-text file at a site's root that gives AI models a concise, curated guide to the site's most important content and links.
Related terms
robots.txt is a file at a site's root that tells crawlers which paths they may or may not crawl, and where the sitemap is.
AI crawlersAI crawlers are bots run by AI companies that fetch web pages to train models or to answer questions live; robots.txt can allow or block each one.
AEOAEO, answer engine optimisation, is structuring a website so AI assistants and search features quote it as the answer, not just list it as a link.
GEOGEO, generative engine optimisation, is optimising content to be included and cited in answers written by generative AI systems.
Part of the Web Encyclopedia by Apex Flow Digital. Definitions are general knowledge, kept current, with no invented statistics.