What is llms.txt? The New Standard for AI-Ready Documentation

The web is changing. AI assistants like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity are becoming the primary way people discover and interact with information online. But there's a problem: most websites aren't optimized for AI consumption.

The Problem with Traditional Web Content

When an AI assistant tries to understand your website, it faces several challenges:

• Complex HTML structures make it hard to extract meaningful content
• Navigation elements, ads, and footers pollute the core information
• No clear hierarchy of what's important vs. supplementary
• Scattered documentation across multiple pages and formats

The result? AI assistants often misunderstand, misrepresent, or completely miss your content.

Enter llms.txt

The llms.txt standard provides a simple, elegant solution. It's a plain text file placed at the root of your website that tells AI assistants exactly what your site is about and how to understand it.

Think of it like robots.txt for AI - but instead of telling crawlers what not to index, it tells AI assistants what to understand.

What Goes in an llms.txt File?

A typical llms.txt file includes:

• Title and description of your product or service
• Key documentation links organized by importance
• API references and technical specifications
• Getting started guides for new users
• Contact and support information

Here's a simple example:

# Acme Inc

> Build better software with Acme's developer tools

## About
Acme provides APIs and SDKs for modern applications.

## Documentation
- [Getting Started](/docs/getting-started)
- [API Reference](/docs/api)
- [Examples](/docs/examples)

## Links
- Website: https://acme.com
- Support: support@acme.com

Why Adopt llms.txt?

1. Better AI Visibility

When someone asks an AI assistant about your product category, you want your solution mentioned. llms.txt helps AI understand your value proposition clearly.

2. Accurate Information

By providing structured, authoritative content, you reduce the risk of AI hallucinating incorrect information about your products.

3. Future-Proofing

As AI becomes the dominant interface for information discovery, having AI-optimized content will become as important as SEO is today.

4. Competitive Advantage

Early adopters of llms.txt are already seeing benefits in AI-driven discovery. Don't let competitors get ahead.

Getting Started

Implementing llms.txt is straightforward:

1. Create a file named llms.txt in your website's root directory
2. Add your key information following the standard format
3. Link to your most important documentation
4. Test with AI assistants to verify accuracy

The Growing Ecosystem

Thousands of companies are already adopting llms.txt, including industry leaders like Stripe, Vercel, and Anthropic. The standard is gaining momentum because it solves a real problem in a simple way.

Ready to make your website AI-ready? Check our directory to see who's already using llms.txt, or create your own in minutes.