llms.txt for online stores: what it is and a template
llms.txt is a proposal for a simple Markdown file at yourstore.com/llms.txt that tells AI models what your site is and where its most useful pages are. It's cheap to add. It's also new, and nobody should promise it will change your AI visibility on its own.
Where llms.txt comes from
The format was proposed in 2024 by Jeremy Howard of Answer.AI. The idea: websites are full of navigation, scripts and ads that make it hard for a language model to find the important content, so give models a clean, curated summary with links. A companion file, llms-full.txt, can contain fuller text.
What's known about adoption
Many developer-tool and documentation sites publish llms.txt files, and some AI tools can read them when pointed at them. What isn't publicly confirmed is whether the big AI shopping and search systems use llms.txt when choosing products. Be skeptical of anyone who says it's required or that it "ranks" you. Our honest view: it's a few minutes of work with low downside, so it's worth doing after the fundamentals (crawler access, Product schema, GTINs) are handled.
The format
- An
#H1 with your store name (the only required part) - A
>blockquote with a one-paragraph summary - Optional paragraphs of detail
##sections with Markdown lists of links:- [Name](URL): short note- An optional
## Optionalsection for links that can be skipped
Template for an online store
# Your Brand
> Your Brand makes cushioned merino wool socks and base layers for hikers and
> runners. Ships from Denver, Colorado to the US and Canada. Free US shipping
> over $50 and 30-day free returns.
Founded in 2019. All products are machine washable. Sizes run true to US
shoe sizes; see the size guide for details.
## Shop
- [All products](https://yourstore.com/collections/all): full catalog
- [Hiking socks](https://yourstore.com/collections/hiking-socks): cushioned and lightweight styles
- [Base layers](https://yourstore.com/collections/base-layers): merino tops and bottoms
- [Best sellers](https://yourstore.com/collections/best-sellers)
## Help
- [Size guide](https://yourstore.com/pages/size-guide)
- [Shipping policy](https://yourstore.com/policies/shipping-policy)
- [Returns and exchanges](https://yourstore.com/policies/refund-policy)
- [Contact](https://yourstore.com/pages/contact): help@yourstore.com
## Optional
- [Our story](https://yourstore.com/pages/about)
- [Care instructions](https://yourstore.com/pages/care)Tips for writing it
- Write the summary the way you'd describe the store to a new customer: what you sell, who it's for, where you ship, and your key policies.
- Link to collections and policy pages rather than hundreds of individual products. Your sitemap and feed handle the full catalog.
- Keep facts current. An outdated shipping threshold in llms.txt is worse than no file.
- Stay factual. No superlatives you can't back up.
Adding it to your store
- Shopify: you can't place files at the root directly. Upload
llms.txtin Content > Files, copy its URL, then go to Online Store > Navigation > URL Redirects (location may vary by admin version) and redirect/llms.txtto that file. Some apps serve it directly instead. Either way, openyourstore.com/llms.txtto test. - WordPress / WooCommerce: upload to the site root, or use a plugin that generates it.
- Custom / headless: serve it as a static file with
Content-Type: text/plainortext/markdown.
Our free scan checks whether your store has llms.txt along with everything else.
See what AI can read about your products
Free scan: AI crawler access, Product schema, GTINs, reviews, sitemap and llms.txt. Results in under a minute, with the top fixes in plain English.
Scan my store freeFrequently asked questions
Do ChatGPT and other assistants read llms.txt?
There's no public, confirmed commitment from the major AI companies that their shopping or search systems use llms.txt. It's a low-cost, optional convention. Treat it as a bonus, not a substitute for robots.txt access, structured data and good product pages.
Will llms.txt replace my sitemap or schema?
No. A sitemap lists URLs for crawlers and schema labels product facts. llms.txt is a short human-readable summary. They do different jobs.
Can I add llms.txt on Shopify?
Shopify doesn't let you upload arbitrary files to your store's root. Common workarounds are uploading the file in Content > Files and creating a URL redirect from /llms.txt to it, or using an app that serves the file. Test the result at yourstore.com/llms.txt.
What should I not put in llms.txt?
Anything you wouldn't publish openly: no private discount codes, internal notes, or claims you can't support.