llms.txt Checker: validate your llms.txt
Enter a domain to fetch its live /llms.txt and test it against the llmstxt.org format. You get a pass, warning or fail for every requirement, a readiness score and a clear fix for each issue.
Quick answer
A valid llms.txt is a UTF-8 Markdown file at /llms.txt that starts with an H1 title, followed by a > summary blockquote and H2 sections of links written as - [Title](URL): description. Only the H1 is strictly required. It does not control crawling, and Google has said it does not use it, so treat it as a helpful extra rather than a ranking factor.
What the checker tests
Each check maps to a part of the llmstxt.org proposal or to a practical requirement for tools to read the file. Failures cap the score below 50.
| Check | Why it matters | Level if missing |
|---|---|---|
| File returns HTTP 200 at /llms.txt | Tools only look at the site root. Redirects are followed and reported. | Fail |
| Plain text, not an HTML page | Many sites return their homepage or a themed 404 page for unknown URLs. That is not a valid file. | Fail |
| Starts with an H1 title | The only element the proposal marks as required. | Fail |
| Summary blockquote after the H1 | The short description is the part a tool is most likely to quote about your site. | Warning |
| H2 sections with link lists | Groups your important URLs so a tool can pick the right one. | Warning |
| Absolute URLs | Full URLs still work when the file is read out of context. | Warning |
| text/plain or text/markdown content type | Helps clients treat the response as text. | Warning |
| Concise size, valid UTF-8 | llms.txt is an index. Long content belongs in llms-full.txt. | Warning |
| llms-full.txt present | Optional companion file with your full documentation text. | Info |
A correct llms.txt example
This is a complete, valid file for a small software company. Copy the structure and replace the content with your own pages.
# Acme Analytics
> Acme Analytics is a privacy-first web analytics tool for small businesses. It
> tracks visits without cookies and is hosted in the EU.
Acme was founded in 2019 and is used by over 4,000 websites. Pricing starts at
$9 per month with a 30 day free trial.
## Product
- [Features](https://acme.example/features): What Acme tracks and how
- [Pricing](https://acme.example/pricing): Plans, limits and billing
## Docs
- [Quick start](https://acme.example/docs/start): Install the script in 5 minutes
- [API reference](https://acme.example/docs/api): REST endpoints and authentication
## Optional
- [Changelog](https://acme.example/changelog): Release historyMistakes we see most often
- The URL returns the homepage. Content management systems often answer every unknown URL with a 200 page. Upload a real file.
- Crawl rules inside llms.txt. Lines like
Disallow: /adminbelong in robots.txt. They have no effect in llms.txt. - Every URL on the site. llms.txt is a curated shortlist, not a sitemap. Link the 10 to 50 pages that best explain what you do.
- No descriptions. A short note after each link tells a tool what the page covers without opening it.
Where llms.txt fits in AI search readiness
llms.txt is the smallest piece of the puzzle. First make sure AI search bots can reach you with the AI crawler checker. Then measure what they find with the full GEO Score Checker, which looks at technical readiness, answerability, entities, citations and authority. Read our llms.txt guide for a deeper walkthrough.
llms.txt questions
What is llms.txt?
llms.txt is a plain Markdown file published at the root of a website, for example example.com/llms.txt. It gives language models a short summary of the site and a curated list of its most useful pages. It was proposed by Jeremy Howard at llmstxt.org in 2024 and is a community proposal, not an official web standard.
Does Google use llms.txt?
Google has stated that it does not use llms.txt for Google Search or AI Overviews. Other AI tools and coding assistants may read it, especially when a user points them at a site. Check your server logs for requests to /llms.txt to see which tools actually fetch it.
Is llms.txt the same as robots.txt?
No. robots.txt tells crawlers which URLs they may or may not access. llms.txt does not grant or block access to anything. It is a reading guide that points to content you want language models to understand. Use the AI crawler checker for robots.txt.
What format does llms.txt need?
Start with an H1 containing the site or project name. Follow it with a short blockquote summary. You can add plain paragraphs, then H2 sections that each contain a Markdown list of links in the form "- [Title](URL): optional description". A section named "## Optional" marks links that can be skipped when context is limited.
What is llms-full.txt?
llms-full.txt is an optional companion file that contains the full text of your key documentation in one Markdown file, so a tool can load everything at once. llms.txt stays short and links out; llms-full.txt holds the content itself.
Will adding llms.txt improve my rankings?
There is no public evidence that llms.txt improves Google rankings or guarantees AI citations. It is cheap to publish and can help AI tools that choose to read it. Ranking and citation still depend on crawl access, clear content, entities and authority, which the GEO Score Checker measures.
How do I create an llms.txt file?
Use the free llms.txt generator, or write it by hand following the example on this page. Save it as UTF-8 plain text, upload it to your site root so it loads at /llms.txt, then run this checker to validate it.
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