llms.txt: Your AI Discovery File (And Why You Need One Yesterday)
Remember robots.txt? That simple file that told search engines how to crawl your site? Well, AI agents need something similar. Enter llms.txt—the protocol that's quietly becoming the standard for AI discoverability.
Three months ago, a startup launched with cutting-edge AI tooling. They had amazing docs, pristine APIs, and zero AI agent adoption. Why? No AI agent could figure out what they did. They were invisible to the very users they wanted to reach.
Then they added a single file: llms.txt. Within a week, AI agents were discovering, evaluating, and recommending their tools. Their "AI-driven" adoption grew 400%.
Not sure if your llms.txt is working? Our free evaluator tool shows you exactly how AI agents see your file and what to improve.
What Is llms.txt?
Think of llms.txt as your product's AI-readable business card. It's a simple text file that sits at yoursite.com/llms.txt and tells AI agents everything they need to know about your product, in a format they can actually understand.
"We spent $500K on documentation that humans loved and AI ignored. Then we spent 2 hours writing llms.txt, and our AI discovery rate jumped 10x overnight." - CTO, DevTools Startup
The Anatomy of an Effective llms.txt
Here's what a well-optimized llms.txt looks like:
Why AI Agents Love llms.txt
| Without llms.txt | With llms.txt |
|---|---|
| AI scrapes your entire site hoping to understand | AI reads one file and knows everything |
| Guesses at your capabilities | Has explicit list of features |
| Can't find API endpoints | Direct links to integration points |
| Misunderstands use cases | Clear scenarios with examples |
The SEO to AEO Shift
Just as robots.txt became essential for SEO, llms.txt is becoming critical for AEO (AI Engine Optimization). But unlike SEO, where you're optimizing for algorithms, with AEO you're optimizing for understanding.
of AI agents check for llms.txt before attempting to understand a product
4.7xhigher recommendation rate for products with well-structured llms.txt files
12 secondsaverage time for AI to fully understand a product via llms.txt
Best Practices for llms.txt Optimization
1. Be Explicit About Capabilities
Don't make AI guess what you do. List every major feature, API endpoint, and use case. If an AI can't find it in your llms.txt, it might as well not exist.
2. Include Working Examples
AI agents learn by example. Show actual API calls, real query syntax, and concrete implementations. The more specific, the better.
3. Update Regularly
Your llms.txt should be as current as your product. Set up automation to update it whenever you ship new features. Stale information is worse than no information.
4. Structure for Scanning
AI agents scan quickly. Use clear sections, consistent formatting, and standard keys. Make it easy for AI to find exactly what it needs.
Common llms.txt Mistakes
- Marketing fluff: "Industry-leading solution" means nothing to AI. Be specific.
- Missing endpoints: If your API URL isn't in llms.txt, AI can't find it.
- No examples: Abstract descriptions don't help. Show real usage.
- Outdated information: Old API versions will frustrate AI agents.
- Poor structure: Random organization makes parsing difficult.
Advanced llms.txt Strategies
Dynamic Generation
The best llms.txt files are generated automatically from your product's actual capabilities. This ensures they're always accurate and complete.
Performance Metrics
Include performance benchmarks directly in your llms.txt. AI agents love objective data:
Competitive Positioning
Help AI agents understand where you fit in the ecosystem:
Measuring llms.txt Success
Track these metrics to optimize your llms.txt performance:
- Discovery Rate: How often AI agents find your llms.txt
- Parse Success: Percentage of successful reads
- Recommendation Frequency: How often you're suggested after discovery
- Implementation Success: AI agents successfully using your product
Pro tip: Use our llms.txt Evaluator to get instant feedback on all these metrics before deploying your file.
Is Your llms.txt AI-Ready?
Use our free llms.txt Evaluator to instantly analyze your file and get specific recommendations for maximizing AI agent discoverability.
Evaluate Your llms.txtThe Future of llms.txt
As AI agents become more sophisticated, llms.txt is evolving too. Version 2.0 proposals include:
- Standardized schemas for different industries
- Real-time capability updates via webhooks
- Authentication and rate limit specifications
- Multi-language example support
- Automated testing protocols
Start Today
Every day without an llms.txt is a day you're invisible to AI agents. It takes less than an hour to create a basic version, and the impact is immediate.
Ready to Make Your Product AI-Discoverable?
Try our free llms.txt Evaluator tool. Upload your existing file or generate a new one based on best practices.
Launch llms.txt Evaluator →Remember: In the AI era, if you're not in llms.txt, you're not in the game. Make your product discoverable, understandable, and usable by AI agents. Your future users—human and artificial—will thank you.