What Does llms.txt Do & Does llms.txt Improve How I Appear in ChatGPT?
This FAQ answers what llms.txt does and whether it improves how you appear in ChatGPT or other AI tools. We’ll walk through its intended purpose, how it’s being used today, and what role it may play in future AI visibility.
What Does llms.txt Do?
Guides AI to the sweet stuff.
llms.txt gives AI tools a clear path to your site’s most useful content. Instead of scraping your full website, which often includes extra code, menus, and noise, large language models can reference a concise markdown file that highlights key pages, documentation, or summaries.
This file helps AI systems process content more efficiently when they’re trying to answer a user’s question or pull relevant information on demand.
Does llms.txt Improve How I Appear in ChatGPT?
Experimental, not confirmed.
Not directly, at least not yet. OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, has not officially confirmed support for llms.txt as part of its crawling or training behavior. Currently, there’s no guarantee that adding a file will improve your visibility in ChatGPT responses or affect how your content is used.
That said, there’s growing evidence that OpenAI’s systems may be experimenting with llms.txt. Reports from the SEO and AI optimization community suggest that GPTBot has been observed accessing these files on some websites. While this doesn’t confirm active use, it does make us think that OpenAI may be exploring the standard behind the scenes and potentially laying the groundwork for future implementation.
Where llms.txt Could Help (Now or Later)
While llms.txt won’t give you a ranking boost in ChatGPT today, it may help improve content clarity and control across tools that already support it. It will also have you prepared when these tools officially confirm the use of these files.
Here’s what this file can support, now and in the future:
- Improves clarity for AI tools that parse markdown
- Supports models like Perplexity and Claude that may reference structured content
- Helps reduce reliance on messy HTML or JavaScript-heavy pages
- Adds transparency about what content you want LLMs to use
- Prepares your site for broader AI adoption down the line
Have More AIO Questions?
Think of this as your AI optimization sampler. Dip in wherever you’re curious, or savor the full spread for a deeper understanding.
