Google documents it: Search does not use llms.txt
What exactly the Google guide on AI features in Search says, what it covers and what it does not, and how it fits with the Lighthouse check
On June 15, 2026, Google extended its guide for site owners on AI features in Search. It now has a direct statement about machine-readable files such as llms.txt.
What it says
The meaning of two sentences in the guide:
- there is no need to create new machine-readable files for AI features in Search, because Search does not use them;
- such files will neither help nor harm, because Search ignores them.
Before that, Google’s position was known from remarks by its staff on social networks and at conferences. Now it is written in the official documentation.
What it covers
Google Search only: regular results, AI Overviews and AI Mode. For them, according to the same guide, regular SEO works: accessible pages, useful content, structured data.
What it does not cover
- Agents in code editors and developer tools. They read
llms.txtwhen they are given the address. - Other search and AI systems. Google does not speak for them.
- Chrome. Lighthouse has been checking for the file since May 2026, and there is no contradiction: Lighthouse judges whether a site is convenient for an agent, not how results are built.
What follows
The file is not worth making for Google rankings. It is worth making if agents read the site: in documentation, help, a catalog with a clear structure.
For visibility in AI features of Search, what Google reads and writes about directly matters more: structured data. All studies and statements in one place: Does llms.txt work.