llms.txt: a proposed standard no major AI platform has confirmed it uses
The article discusses the 'llms.txt' proposal, a suggested standard for websites to provide a Markdown file that helps AI agents navigate and understand site content. The author notes that while the standard is not widely adopted, it is a low-cost, low-risk experiment for site owners to implement.
Why it matters
As AI agents become more prevalent, establishing machine-readable standards for web content is becoming a critical, albeit currently fragmented, area of web development.
Most write-ups of this file are selling something. Here is what the measurement says, followed by what we still recommend and why those two things aren't in conflict.
llms.txt is a proposed Markdown file at your site root that lists your most important pages so AI systems know what to read first. It is not a standard, and the evidence that it currently affects AI citations is weak.
Ship one anyway. It costs twenty minutes, it can't hurt, and it's a cheap option on a future where agents route on machine-readable site surfaces. Just don't build a strategy on it.
Three defensible reasons, none of which is "it will get me cited."
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