LLMs.txt: AI Crawler Directives Guide

What Is LLMs.txt?

llms.txt is a new standard (similar to robots.txt) that tells AI language models how they should use your website content. While robots.txt controls whether crawlers can access your pages, llms.txt provides guidance on how AI models should use your content.

Your file URL: yoursite.com/llms.txt

Why Does This Matter?

AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity are increasingly used as alternatives to Google. When someone asks an AI "What's the best running shoe store?", the AI may reference your site. llms.txt helps you:

1. Control your brand narrative — Tell AI models how to describe your business
2. Get attribution — Request that AI models cite your site when referencing your content
3. Guide content usage — Decide what AI can summarize vs what should be visited directly
4. Future-proof your SEO — As AI search grows, llms.txt adoption will become standard

Key Differences from robots.txt

Setup (5 Minutes)

Step 1: Enable LLMs.txt

Step 2: Configure Basic Info

Step 3: Define Content Sections

Tell AI models about your key content areas:

Step 4: Set Content Preferences

Step 5: Save & Verify

Example Output

A generated llms.txt file looks like:

# Royal Plugins

> WordPress plugins for security, SEO, and performance optimization.

## About

- [About Us](https://royalplugins.com/about/): Learn about our team and mission
- [Contact](https://royalplugins.com/contact/): Get in touch with support

## Documentation

- [Getting Started](https://royalplugins.com/docs/getting-started/): Beginner setup guide
- [SEObolt Guide](https://royalplugins.com/docs/seobolt/): SEO plugin documentation

## Blog

- [WordPress Tips](https://royalplugins.com/blog/wordpress/): WordPress tutorials
- [SEO Guides](https://royalplugins.com/blog/seo/): Search optimization guides

## Products

- [SEObolt Pro](https://royalplugins.com/seobolt/): Complete WordPress SEO plugin
- [GuardPress](https://royalplugins.com/guardpress/): WordPress security plugin

## Policies

- [Terms of Service](https://royalplugins.com/terms/)
- [Privacy Policy](https://royalplugins.com/privacy/)

LLMs-Full.txt

SEObolt can also generate an extended llms-full.txt file with more detailed content:

• URL: yoursite.com/llms-full.txt
• Contents: Expanded descriptions of each page and section
• Purpose: Gives AI models richer context about your site

Troubleshooting

LLMs.txt Not Appearing (404)

1. Check toggle — SEObolt > Settings > LLMs.txt must be enabled
2. Flush permalinks — Go to Settings > Permalinks > Save (no changes needed)
3. Check for physical file — If a physical llms.txt file exists in your web root (via FTP), delete it. SEObolt generates it dynamically.
4. Check permalink structure — Must use pretty permalinks (not "Plain")
5. Check caching — Clear site cache and CDN cache

File Appears But Content Is Wrong

1. Check settings — Verify your site name, description, and sections in SEObolt settings
2. Save again — Re-save settings to regenerate the file
3. Clear cache — Cached version may be stale

AI Models Not Following Directives

1. Standard is emerging — Not all AI providers honor llms.txt yet. Adoption is growing.
2. robots.txt still matters — For blocking AI crawlers entirely, use robots.txt directives:

User-agent: GPTBot
Disallow: /private/

User-agent: ClaudeBot
Disallow: /private/

Both files work together — robots.txt blocks access; llms.txt guides usage of accessible content.

Frequently Asked Questions

"Is this the same as robots.txt?"

No. robots.txt controls whether crawlers can access your pages (blocking/allowing). llms.txt guides how AI models use content they've already accessed (summarization, quotation, attribution).

"Do I need this?"

If you care about how AI tools describe or reference your business, yes. As AI search grows, having an llms.txt file ensures AI models have accurate context about your site.

"Will this affect my Google rankings?"

No. llms.txt is for AI language models, not search engine crawlers. It has no impact on traditional SEO rankings.

"Which AI providers support this?"

The standard is being adopted by major AI providers. Even for providers that don't fully support it yet, having the file ensures you're ready when they do.

"Should I block AI crawlers with robots.txt instead?"

That's a business decision:

• Block if you don't want AI models using your content at all
• Allow + llms.txt if you want AI models to reference your content with proper attribution
• Most businesses benefit from AI visibility — it's a new traffic source

"Can I update this later?"

Yes. Edit your settings anytime in SEObolt and the file regenerates automatically.

Related Guides

• XML Sitemaps Guide — XML sitemaps for search engines alongside LLMs.txt for AI
• Instant Indexing Guide — Push content to search engines via IndexNow
• Meta Tags & Social Guide — Control how your content appears across platforms
• Breadcrumbs Guide — Help both users and AI understand your site structure