llms.txt: what the file really does in 2026, with generator and template

What is an llms.txt file?

An llms.txt is a simple text file in Markdown format that sits in the root folder of a website, at your-website.com/llms.txt. It is meant to tell language models such as ChatGPT or Claude briefly what the website is about and which pages matter. LLM stands for large language model. Some people write llm.txt, they mean the same thing, the correct name is llms.txt.

The file was proposed by Jeremy Howard, co-founder of Answer.AI, on 3 September 2024. It was mainly intended for software documentation: a language model cannot read a huge set of docs at once and needs a signpost. Since August 2026 there has been a revised version 2 of the specification on llmstxt.org. llms.txt is not an official standard, the site calls itself an informal overview.

This is what an llms.txt looks like for a small business:

# Gasthaus Muster

> Family-run inn in Linz serving Austrian cuisine, with a beer garden and a hall for parties of up to 80 guests.

- Address: Musterstraße 1, 4020 Linz, Austria
- Phone: +43 732 000000
- Opening hours: Mon to Sat 11 am to 10 pm; Sun 11 am to 3 pm; closed on Tuesdays
- Services: set lunch, parties and company dinners, catering

## Key pages

- [Menu](https://www.gasthaus-muster.at/speisekarte): current menu with prices
- [Opening hours and directions](https://www.gasthaus-muster.at/kontakt)
- [Parties](https://www.gasthaus-muster.at/feiern): hall, menus and enquiries

## Optional

- [History](https://www.gasthaus-muster.at/ueber-uns)

Who actually reads llms.txt?

This is the heart of the matter. Many guides promise that llms.txt makes you visible in ChatGPT. There is no evidence for that. Google states verbatim in its AI search guide that Google Search does not use such files, they will neither harm nor help. The major AI providers have nowhere said that they use the file for their answers:

Service	Reads llms.txt?	Status November 2026
Google Suche	No	“Google Search itself doesn't use them”, AI search guide, 2026
Chrome Lighthouse	Checks whether it exists	Since May 2026 in the Agentic Browsing category, if it is missing the audit is marked not applicable
ChatGPT	Not confirmed	OpenAI only describes control via robots.txt
Claude	Not confirmed	Anthropic only describes control via robots.txt
Perplexity	Not confirmed	Perplexity only describes control via robots.txt
Bing and Copilot	Not confirmed	We know of no statement from Microsoft on llms.txt
Coding tools and agents	Yes, partly	For example when coding against third-party software docs, which is what the file is meant for

Google itself is dismissive too. Google's John Mueller compared the file to the long meaningless keywords meta tag back in 2025. In June 2026 he added that because every site only says good things about itself in the file, a language model cannot use it to decide which site gives the best answer. At most it helps AI agents that are already on a site and need to get something done there.

And the measurements are sobering:

Does an llms.txt bring more visibility in ChatGPT and Google?

Based on what is known today, no. When someone asks ChatGPT or Google about your business, the AI searches the web and reads the pages it finds. llms.txt plays no proven role in that:

1Customer asks“Is Gasthaus Muster open on Tuesday?”

2Web searchChatGPT uses its own crawlers and search indexes such as Bing, Google its own index

3Read pagesWebsite, Business Profile, directories, portals

4AnswerBased on what is known today, llms.txt plays no part on this path

So who benefits? Mainly software providers whose docs are read by coding tools. For typical small and medium-sized businesses it is a minor thing that does no harm:

Create an llms.txt: generator and template

If you want an llms.txt, it takes ten minutes. Enter your details and the file is built live next to the form, or below it on your phone. Leave a field empty if it does not apply:

How to get the file online:

1. Save: as llms.txt in UTF-8 encoding, as a plain text file, not as a Word document.
2. Upload: to the root folder of your website, where robots.txt is also located. With WordPress, Shopify and Wix it is easier, see below.
3. Test: open your-website.com/llms.txt in your browser. You must see the text, not an error page. If you like, also check the file with Lighthouse in Chrome DevTools, Agentic Browsing category.
4. Maintain: if opening hours, phone or services change, change them here too. Otherwise there is one more outdated source online.

The rules of the specification in brief: only the first line with # and the name is required. It is followed by a short description with >, any text without headings and sections with ## and link lists. By convention, an Optional section holds secondary links. Keep the file short and only write what is also on your website.

llms.txt in WordPress, Shopify, Wix and other systems

Many systems now create the file themselves. First check whether you already have one by opening your-website.com/llms.txt.

llms.txt, llms-full.txt, robots.txt and sitemap compared

The file names sound similar, but they have very different jobs and weight:

Important: robots.txt is the file that really counts. In October 2026 Google announced plans to support a shared signal in robots.txt from 2027, meant to let you control AI training across several providers in one step. It is still a draft, other providers are expected to follow. That has nothing to do with llms.txt.

More important than llms.txt: what counts for AI answers

If you want ChatGPT, Google and other AI assistants to talk about your business correctly, take care of these points first:

1. Allow AI search bots: OpenAI explicitly recommends allowing OAI-SearchBot in robots.txt. Sites that block it do not appear in ChatGPT search answers. Anthropic and Perplexity say much the same for their bots. Also check whether your host's bot protection blocks AI crawlers.
2. Be found on Bing and Google: according to Microsoft, many language models rely on the Bing index or other search indexes. How to check this is covered in Why does my business not show up in ChatGPT?
3. Maintain your Business Profile: Google explicitly names the Business Profile as helping visibility in AI answers. Guide: Edit your Google Business Profile.
4. Facts as text on your website: opening hours, prices and services belong on the page as normal text, not only in an image or PDF. According to Google, structured data is not required but still a good idea.
5. The same details everywhere: AI assistants also read directories, portals and review sites. If they say something different from your website, the error ends up in the answer. More on this in Google AI Overviews and AI Mode.

Check what AI says about your business

An llms.txt is a claim about yourself. What AI assistants actually answer depends on what the whole web says about you. That is exactly what faktado.ai checks: the app regularly asks ChatGPT and Google about your business, compares every detail with your website and finds directories and portals with old numbers or wrong opening hours, with the way to correct them. The free check shows you within about 15 minutes where you stand.

FAQ

Harald FischlManaging Director, maxonline

Harald is Managing Director of maxonline, an SEO and GEO agency from Lower Austria focused on hospitality. He works every day on how businesses are presented correctly in search engines and AI answers. More about Harald