llms.txt
Also known as: LLM permissions file
A structured text file at the root of a domain (like robots.txt) that provides AI models with a curated map of the site's most cite-worthy content and explicit AI-training/citation permissions.
llms.txt is an emerging web standard — a text file at the root of a domain that provides AI models with a curated introduction to the site. It typically includes a one-paragraph brand description, links to the most cite-worthy pages (product hubs, case studies, research), and explicit permission grants (allow or disallow AI training, indexing, citation).
Analogous to robots.txt for traditional search engines, llms.txt is designed for the AI model ingest process. Not every AI model reads it yet, but the trend is clear: the standard is being adopted by AI providers as a discovery hint.
For brands, hosting a well-crafted llms.txt is a low-effort, high-signal move. It costs nothing to add and — for models that honor it — steers the AI's understanding of your brand toward the framing you want.
Our own llms.txt lives at trucommerce.ai/llms.txt and is a working example of the pattern.
See also
GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)
The discipline of making a brand or product surface in AI-generated content — mentioned, cited, or recommended by generative AI models. Broader than AEO by including AI-generated recommendations, not just answer citations.
AEO (Answer Engine Optimization)
The discipline of making content findable in AI answer engines — Google AI Overviews, Bing Copilot, ChatGPT web search, Perplexity. Distinct from GEO by focus on answer citations rather than generative discovery.