# What is llms.txt? Purpose and file structure

> llms.txt in plain words - what the file is, how it differs from robots.txt and sitemap.xml, who needs it and what not to expect from it

Page: https://llms-full-txt.ru/en/guides/what-is-llms-txt/
Site index: https://llms-full-txt.ru/en/llms.txt

`llms.txt` is a text file in the root of a site. It holds the site name, a sentence or two about what the site covers, and lists of links to the main material with short notes.

The file is written for an AI agent: a program that looks for an answer on a person's behalf and reads pages by itself. It spares the agent from wandering through menus.

The main limit: it is a proposal, not an adopted standard. Search engines do not use it for ranking.

proposal · second edition, August 10, 2026
## What the file looks like

- llms.txt
- A minimal file
- Name

```
# Kolos Bakery
```

- The only required part
- Summary

```
> Bread and pastry with delivery in Kazan. Menu, prices, delivery terms.
```

- What the site is about, in a sentence or two
- Section

```
## Main
- [Menu and prices](https://example.com/menu.md): the full range
- [Delivery](https://example.com/delivery.md): zones, timing, cost
```

- Links with notes, grouped by meaning

The format is Markdown: plain text with simple marks. A person and a program read it equally well.

Exact rules: [the file format](https://llms-full-txt.ru/en/specification/format/).

## How it differs from robots.txt and sitemap.xml

The three files get confused because all of them sit in the site root. They answer different questions.

- Three files in the site root
- access rules; read by every search robot
- a complete list of pages, no judgment
- a short map with notes

`llms.txt` neither forbids nor allows anything. Closing a site to an AI bot is done in `robots.txt`: [AI crawlers](https://llms-full-txt.ru/en/guides/ai-crawlers/).

## Who needs the file

**Documentation sites.** This is the file's home ground. A developer asks an assistant to write code, the assistant goes to the library docs, and `llms.txt` shows where things are. OpenAI, Anthropic, Stripe, Cloudflare, Vercel and dozens of others publish their own.

**References and knowledge bases.** With a lot of well-structured material, a map helps.

**Stores and company sites.** The benefit here is smaller and not proven. The file does no harm and costs little, but do not expect sales to grow because of it. For a store, [structured data](https://llms-full-txt.ru/en/guides/json-ld/) matters far more: search engines read it.

## What not to expect

**Confirmed**

- Large documentation sites publish the file.
- Agents in code editors can work with such files when a user gives them the address.
- Lighthouse checks for the file in an experimental category.

**Not proven**

- That the file improves search rankings. Google states plainly that Search does not use such files.
- That ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini find and read the `llms.txt` of other sites on their own. No bot owner claims that.
- That the file increases mentions in AI answers.

**What it does not mean**

- A missing file does not close a site to AI: pages are read without it.
- A present file does not open what is closed: it does not control access.

The studies in detail: [Does llms.txt work](https://llms-full-txt.ru/en/guides/does-llms-txt-work/).

## And what is llms-full.txt

A different file: not links but the whole text of the documentation in one place. It is not in the proposal; it is a practice of documentation platforms. More: [What is llms-full.txt](https://llms-full-txt.ru/en/guides/llms-full-txt/).

## Next

- To make the file: [Getting started](https://llms-full-txt.ru/en/guides/getting-started/).
- To see the whole picture: [An AI-ready site](https://llms-full-txt.ru/en/guides/ai-ready-site/).
- To decide whether you need it: [Does llms.txt work](https://llms-full-txt.ru/en/guides/does-llms-txt-work/).