Guides · Updated 2026-10-17
What is llms.txt? The file that helps AI agents read your site
Short answer: llms.txt is a small Markdown file at the root of a website that tells AI agents what the site is and where the useful pages are. It's a proposal (now at v2), not a formal standard. Only an H1 with the site name is required; the rest is a short summary and sections of links.
What is the llms.txt format?
# Site name(the only required part)> One-line summary- Optional notes (no headings)
## Sectionheadings, each with a list ofname: notelinks- An optional
## Optionalsection for links an agent can skip
The proposal also suggests offering a Markdown version of each page at the same URL plus .md.
How is llms.txt different from sitemap.xml and robots.txt?
| File | Audience | Job |
|---|---|---|
| robots.txt | crawlers | what automated access is allowed |
| sitemap.xml | search engines | every indexable page |
| llms.txt | AI agents | a short, curated guide that fits in context |
What does an llms.txt file look like?
DartzDabz publishes one: dartzdabz.com/llms.txt. Our directory also tracks whether each agent tool publishes discovery files like llms.txt, as part of its readiness score (how scoring works).
Which tools in our directory relate to this, and how do they compare?
| Score | Tool | Type | Host |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | api.ozdreamtools.de assess Audits a website for AI agent and AI crawler readiness from caller-supplied inputs: robots.txt, HTML, headers, | x402 · $0.01 | api.ozdreamtools.de |
| 100 | tools.halowerk.com discovery Prueft die bekannten Konventionspfade einer Domain auf OpenAPI, MCP, x402, GraphQL, Feeds, llms.txt, security. | x402 · $0.005 | tools.halowerk.com |
| 100 | stableupload.dev upload Buy an upload slot. Agent uploads file via returned URL. | x402 · $0.005 | stableupload.dev |
| 100 | keyring-agent.blockchhub.link send-native Pay the send-native execution fee (native coin transfer) | x402 · $0.05 | keyring-agent.blockchhub.link |
| 100 | rubric-protocol.com exchange-rate Attested Hedera network facts: HBAR exchange rate, gas fees, supply, node roster, throughput, topic state. Eac | x402 · $0.001 | rubric-protocol.com |
| 100 | ausca.com open-inbox Start one renewable random receive-only temporary email address, then wait for and read bounded inbound mail. | x402 · $0.05 | ausca.com |
| 100 | rubric-protocol.com supply Attested Hedera network facts: HBAR exchange rate, gas fees, supply, node roster, throughput, topic state. Eac | x402 · $0.001 | rubric-protocol.com |
| 100 | api.oblique.markets time Use when an agent needs a trusted UTC timestamp or the smallest end-to-end test of its x402 payment client. Re | x402 · $0.01 | api.oblique.markets |
What else do people ask?
What is llms.txt?
llms.txt is a proposal, first published by Jeremy Howard on September 3, 2024, to put a Markdown file at /llms.txt that gives agents brief background, guidance and links to LLM-friendly content about a website.
What must an llms.txt file contain?
Only an H1 with the site or project name is required. The spec then allows a blockquote summary, free-form notes without headings, and H2 sections containing lists of links in the form [name](url) with optional notes.
Is llms.txt the same as sitemap.xml?
No. A sitemap lists every indexable page for search engines. llms.txt is a short, curated guide meant to fit in an agent's context, and it can include external links.
Does anyone use llms.txt?
The v2 proposal says thousands of sites publish one, documentation platforms such as Mintlify and GitBook generate it, and Chrome's Lighthouse checks for one in its agentic browsing audits.
Sources
More guides → · Real agent setups →
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