Glossary · 4 · Grounding: content, retrieval and knowledge
llms.txt
Also known as: /llms.txt
llms.txt is a proposed convention for a plain-markdown file at the root of a website (/llms.txt) that gives AI assistants a concise overview of the site and links to its most useful pages, so they can find and use the content without parsing complex HTML.
- Intermediate
- Technical writers
- Technical marketers
- Developers
In one sentence
llms.txt explained: a markdown map of your website for AI assistants — a simple step toward AI-friendly documentation and marketing sites.
Example
A documentation portal publishes /llms.txt listing its getting-started guide, API reference and troubleshooting index, each with a one-line description.
Why it matters on your learning path
- Technical writers: A low-effort way to point AI tools to your canonical documentation.
- Technical marketers: Part of a generative engine optimization toolkit; support by AI vendors varies and it doesn’t guarantee citation.
- Developers: Generate it from your content source so it stays current. This site publishes one at /llms.txt.