What is llms.txt?
llms.txt is a proposed standard for a plain-text Markdown file, served at /llms.txt on a website, that gives AI assistants and answer engines a short, clean summary of the site and links to its most useful pages. It was proposed in September 2024 at llmstxt.org. It is not an official web standard, it is not a Google ranking factor, and no AI company has committed to reading it on every site. Think of it as a low-cost, tidy summary that some AI tools may use, not as an SEO lever.
Unlike robots.txt, it does not allow or block anything. Unlike sitemap.xml, it does not list every URL. It is a curated reading list written for language models.
The llms.txt format (llmstxt.org)
The file is Markdown with sections in a fixed order. Only the first is required:
- An H1 with the site or store name, for example
# Brightside Apparel. - A blockquote summary: one line starting with
>that says what the site is. - Optional free text: paragraphs or lists with more detail, but no headings.
- H2 sections of links, each a Markdown list in the form
- [Title](https://url): short note. The note after the colon is optional. - An
## Optionalsection: links that a tool can skip when it needs a shorter context.
Worked example, line by line, of a short file this generator produces:
| Line in llms.txt | What it is |
|---|---|
# Brightside Apparel | H1: the store name (required) |
> Organic cotton basics for men and women, made in Portugal and shipped worldwide. | Blockquote summary |
Online store: https://brightside-apparel.com | Free text |
Free shipping on US orders over $50. Returns accepted within 30 days. | Free text |
## Collections | H2 link section |
- [Women's T-Shirts](https://brightside-apparel.com/collections/womens-tees): crew and V-neck tees in 12 colors | Link with a note |
## Pages and policies | H2 link section |
- [Shipping policy](https://brightside-apparel.com/policies/shipping-policy) | Link without a note |
## Optional | Links a tool may skip |
- [About us](https://brightside-apparel.com/pages/about): our story and factories | Optional link |
A blank line separates each block, as in the live output of the tool above.
The generator escapes square brackets in titles, encodes spaces and parentheses in URLs, keeps the summary on one line, leaves out empty sections and always puts Optional last. It flags any link that is not a full https:// URL, because relative or http:// links are less useful to a reader that sees only this file.
What to include for a Shopify store
- Summary: what you sell, for whom, and where you ship, in one sentence.
- Details: facts shoppers ask about: sizing, materials, shipping thresholds, return window, warranty. Keep them true and current.
- Collections: your main collections with a note on what each contains.
- Products: best sellers or hero products, not the whole catalog. Your sitemap already lists every product.
- Pages and policies: shipping, refund and privacy policies (
/policies/shipping-policy,/policies/refund-policy), contact, FAQ and size guide pages. - Blog: buying guides and care guides that answer real questions.
- Optional: about us, press, careers and anything nice to have.
Leave out cart, checkout, account and search URLs, discount codes, and anything you would not want quoted.
Where to host llms.txt on Shopify
Shopify does not let you upload a file to the root of your domain, and a URL redirect from /llms.txt does not help: Shopify now serves its own default /llms.txt (agent instructions) on stores, and URL redirects only apply to paths that do not exist. The supported way to replace Shopify's file is a theme template:
- In your Shopify admin, go to Online Store > Themes, click ... next to your live theme and choose Edit code.
- Under Templates, click Add a new template, choose llms.txt and click Create template.
- Tick "Shopify theme template version" above, copy the output, replace everything in the new
templates/llms.txt.liquidfile with it, and click Save. - Visit
https://yourstore.com/llms.txtto check it. Delete the template later to go back to Shopify's default file.
The template version wraps the text in Liquid {%- raw -%} tags so that any {{ or {% in your product text is printed as-is instead of being run as code. Update the file when your main collections, policies or offers change.
If you would rather not maintain it by hand, EA SEO & Page Speed Optimizer generates an llms.txt from your store's content that you can publish.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is llms.txt?
llms.txt is a proposed standard from llmstxt.org: a Markdown file at /llms.txt that summarizes a site for AI assistants and links to its key pages. It is not an official standard and not a Google ranking factor.
Is this llms.txt generator free?
Yes. It is free with no signup, and it runs entirely in your browser: nothing you type is sent anywhere.
Does llms.txt help SEO or Google rankings?
Not directly. Google has not said it uses llms.txt for ranking. It is a tidy summary that some AI tools may read, so treat it as optional housekeeping rather than an SEO tactic.
What is the difference between llms.txt and robots.txt?
robots.txt tells crawlers which paths they may or may not fetch. llms.txt allows or blocks nothing; it is a curated, readable summary with links to your most useful pages.
How do I add llms.txt to my Shopify store?
Shopify serves its own default /llms.txt, and redirects only apply to paths that do not exist, so use a theme template: Online Store > Themes > Edit code > Add a new template > llms.txt, then paste the "Shopify theme template version" from this tool and save.
Should every product be in llms.txt?
No. List your main collections, best sellers, policies and helpful guides. Your sitemap.xml already lists every product URL; llms.txt works best as a short, curated list.
