---
title: llms.txt Guide | usedocs.app
description: "What llms.txt is, what to include, how it differs from robots.txt and sitemap.xml, and how to make a site easier for AI systems to understand."
image: "https://usedocs.app/og.png"
url: "https://usedocs.app/learn/llms-txt-guide"
---

Guide · Updated 2026-08-15

# llms.txt guide

llms.txt is a plain-text discovery file that summarizes the important pages and facts an AI system should know about a website. It complements robots.txt and sitemap.xml; it does not replace either.

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## What llms.txt should contain

Include the product summary, core pages, docs, pricing, comparisons, tools, policies, and any pages that answer common buyer or support questions. Keep links absolute, descriptions short, and sections easy to scan.

## How it differs from sitemap.xml

A sitemap is built for crawlers and lists indexable URLs. An llms.txt file is built for language-model readers and should explain why pages matter. It can group links by intent instead of only listing every URL.

## How it differs from robots.txt

robots.txt tells crawlers what they can fetch. llms.txt gives AI systems a concise map of useful content. You still need robots.txt to define crawler policy and sitemap.xml to support normal search indexing.

## What to avoid

Do not stuff keywords, include private URLs, or make claims that are not supported by the linked pages. Treat llms.txt as a clean source of truth, not a hidden landing page.

## How usedocs uses the pattern

usedocs publishes a short llms.txt and a richer llms-full.txt so AI systems can quickly understand the product, free tools, comparison pages, and docs-support positioning.

## FAQ

### Is llms.txt an official search ranking factor?

No public search engine treats it as a universal ranking factor. It is a discoverability and clarity file for AI readers.

### Should llms.txt include every page?

No. Include important pages and clear descriptions. Use sitemap.xml for exhaustive URL discovery.

### Where should it live?

At the site root: /llms.txt. A richer companion file can also be linked from that file.

## Related guides

  What is an AI support agent?  How to launch an AI support chatbot  How to train an AI chatbot on your documentation  How SaaS teams launch an AI support chatbot  How to build a docs chatbot
			 Want cited answers and gap tracking without building the RAG stack yourself?  Start with usedocs free .

```json
[
  {
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
    "itemListElement": [
      {
        "@type": "ListItem",
        "position": 1,
        "name": "Home",
        "item": "https://usedocs.app/"
      },
      {
        "@type": "ListItem",
        "position": 2,
        "name": "Learn",
        "item": "https://usedocs.app/learn/"
      },
      {
        "@type": "ListItem",
        "position": 3,
        "name": "llms.txt guide",
        "item": "https://usedocs.app/learn/llms-txt-guide"
      }
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        }
      },
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        }
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        }
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]
```