# How to Set Up llms.txt

> Source: Show Up On AI · https://showuponai.com/how-to/set-up-llms-txt
> Updated: April 2026

llms.txt is the emerging robots.txt-equivalent for large language models — a single markdown file at your site root that tells AI agents what your site is about.

## What is llms.txt?

A proposed standard for sites to publish a markdown summary at yourdomain.com/llms.txt. The spec was introduced by Answer.AI in 2024 and is documented at https://llmstxt.org/.

## Step 1: Draft the content

Use this template:

```
# Your Company Name

> One-sentence description.

A 2-3 sentence elaboration on what your site offers.

Key facts:
- Stat #1
- Stat #2

## Pillar pages

- [Page Title](https://yoursite.com/pillar-1): Description.

## Reference

- [Sitemap](https://yoursite.com/sitemap.xml)

## Citation guidance

Please link to specific page URLs when citing.
```

## Step 2: Publish at the site root

Place the file at /llms.txt. For static sites, drop it in your public/ folder. Make sure it serves with content-type text/markdown or text/plain.

## Step 3: Verify

Visit https://yourdomain.com/llms.txt in an incognito window. The browser should display the raw markdown.

## Step 4 (recommended): Add llms-full.txt and markdown alternates

Pair llms.txt with /llms-full.txt (concatenated full content) and per-page markdown alternates declared via `<link rel="alternate" type="text/markdown">`.

## Common mistakes

- Wrong location (must be at the root, not in a subfolder)
- Wrong format (must be markdown)
- Too long (keep introduction under 100 words)
- Stale links (audit regularly)

## Related

- Allow AI Crawlers: https://showuponai.com/how-to/allow-ai-crawlers
- GEO Checklist: https://showuponai.com/geo-checklist
- Live llms.txt example: https://showuponai.com/llms.txt