llms.txt / llms-full.txt

Why it is checked

Checks for an llms.txt — a short, curated index of your key pages written for LLMs. Optional by definition, but it is the front door many AI tools check first.

How it counts

Optional. Passing can add up to 4 bonus points; all optional items together are capped at 10. Not having it never lowers your base score.

Reports made by earlier versions

Reports made before this check was rewritten keep the result and wording they were given. They read as follows.

• Passed

  In this check, your site looks good on this point — no action needed.

• Declared · incomplete

  In this check, we found something that weakens this signal. It is not fatal, but fixing it makes your site easier for AI answer engines to use — see the suggested steps below.

• Not found · optional

  In this check, no llms.txt was found. It is optional — search engines do not require it — but publishing one gives AI tools a curated front door to your key pages. Optional capability — whether to add it depends on your site's purpose; it does not affect your base score.

• Couldn't verify

  We could not determine this item in this check — the available evidence is not enough to tell why. No conclusion is drawn either way.

How results read

The wording below is exactly what a current report shows for each situation.

• Passed

  In this check, your llms.txt follows the structure of the llms.txt proposal: one title, a summary, sections and link entries. We checked the file's structure, not whether every linked page works.

• Declared · incomplete

  In this check, your llms.txt has the required title, but lacks some of what makes it useful to a tool: a summary, sections, or link entries in the `- [name](url)` form. These are usability points, not rule violations — see the suggested steps. It does not affect your base score.

• Declared · incomplete

  In this check, we found llms-full.txt (the full text) but no llms.txt (the index). Tools that follow the llms.txt proposal look for the index first. This is an optional capability and does not affect your base score.

• Declared · incomplete

  In this check, we opened a small sample of the pages your llms.txt lists, and at least one of them is gone (the server answered 404 or 410). A tool following that link finds nothing, so the bonus is reduced. This comes from a sample at the time of the check, not from every link — see the technical details for which. It does not affect your base score.

• Declared · needs fixing

  In this check, your llms.txt has no `# ` title. The llms.txt proposal requires exactly one, so tools that follow it may not accept the file. This is an optional capability and does not affect your base score.

• Declared · needs fixing

  In this check, your llms.txt has more than one `# ` title. The llms.txt proposal requires exactly one. This is an optional capability and does not affect your base score.

• Not found · optional

  In this check, no llms.txt was found. It is optional — search engines do not require it — but publishing one gives AI tools a curated front door to your key pages.

• Couldn't verify

  We could not read llms.txt in this check (the request failed, was refused, or the response could not be trusted), so nothing is concluded about it either way.

• Couldn't verify

  In this check, no llms.txt was found, and llms-full.txt could not be read — so we cannot say whether you publish either file. No conclusion is drawn.

llms.txt and llms-full.txt

• llms.txt is the index: a short file that names your site and links to its key pages. llms-full.txt is the full text in one file. We check the structure of the index only; the full-text file is reported as readable or not, and is never judged against the index rules.
• The llms.txt proposal requires one thing of the index: exactly one `# ` title. A file without it, or with several, is reported as needing a fix.
• A summary, sections and link entries written as `- [name](url)` make the file more useful to a tool. They are usability points, not violations: missing ones lower the bonus, never produce a failure. Relative URLs, missing descriptions and deeper headings are only noted.
• We also open a small sample of the links the file lists (at most 3 in a free check) to see whether they still open. A sampled link that is gone (404 or 410) lowers the bonus by a step; a link we could not verify never does. It is a sample at the time of the check, reported as "x of y", not a check of every link.
• This check can only add bonus points. It never changes your base score. When its rules were tightened, the bonus of some sites changed; their base score, trend and comparisons did not.