Practical guide

How to create an llms.txt file.

An llms.txt file is a small, human-readable Markdown file that gives AI systems a useful orientation to your website. This guide covers the decisions that make the file genuinely helpful, from page selection to publishing and maintenance.

Generate yours free Read the specification

Simple publishing model/llms.txt

1. Understand the business

2. Select the useful pages

3. Explain the page purpose

4. Publish and verify the file

The best file is concise enough to scan and specific enough to guide the next click.

Before you write

Think orientation, not a second sitemap.

Context

What does this organization or product do?

Priority

Which pages should a new reader start with?

Purpose

What will someone learn after opening each link?

Six practical steps

From website to useful context.

Start with the canonical website

Choose the main HTTPS origin for the website. Decide whether the file should represent the root domain, a documentation subdomain, or a specific product area.

Find the pages worth explaining

Use your sitemap, nested sitemap indexes, internal links, and page metadata to identify the pages that give an AI system useful business or product context.

Write a clear orientation

Describe what the organization does, who it serves, and which pages are the best starting points. Keep it factual, specific, and easy to scan.

Group links with Markdown headings

Use headings to separate products, documentation, support, pricing, or other meaningful areas. Each link should include a short description of why it matters.

Publish it at /llms.txt

Place the plain-text Markdown file at the root of the public website so it can be requested consistently at https://your-domain.com/llms.txt.

Test and keep it current

Open the live URL, check the links, and update the file when important pages, products, pricing, or positioning change.

A working example

Keep the format familiar.

Use a title, a short blockquote summary, then Markdown headings and links. Descriptions should tell a reader what they will find on the linked page.

See more examples

# Northstar
> Workflow software for growing service teams.

Northstar helps agencies plan projects, manage client work,
and keep delivery visible in one place.

## Start here
- [Product overview](https://northstar.example/product): See the core workflow and main use cases.
- [Pricing](https://northstar.example/pricing): Compare plans and included features.

## Learn
- [Getting started](https://northstar.example/docs/getting-started): Set up a workspace and invite a team.
- [API reference](https://northstar.example/docs/api): Explore endpoints and authentication.

Manual approach

Best when your site is small.

Create a plain-text file in Markdown.
Choose a short list of high-value pages.
Publish it at the website root.
Review it whenever the site changes.

Generator approach

Useful when the site keeps growing.

Our generator discovers pages through sitemap logic, analyzes the website context, and creates a consistent file across the URLs you choose. A public update URL can keep the result current after the first run.

Generate an llms.txt file

Keep exploring

Move from the format to implementation, examples, and a live check without losing the thread.

Understand the formatllms.txt specificationA clear explanation of the proposal, Markdown structure, and file roles.Connect your stackHow to implement llms.txtUse curl, cron, CI, Node.js, or Python to pull the current file.Use a templatellms.txt examplesCopyable patterns for SaaS, documentation, and service websites.Apply it to a sitellms.txt for your websiteSee how public pages become a useful, maintainable AI context file.Test a live filellms.txt checkerRetrieve the public response and inspect exactly what is reachable.