# llms.txt example: a real file, the format, and how to check yours

> A real llms.txt example from a live site, a copy-ready template, the format line by line, and a free check that tells you whether your llms.txt is valid and whether AI crawlers can read your pages.

Source: https://terradium.io/llms-txt-example

Last updated 22 October 2026 · Prices checked 22 October 2026

![llms.txt example: a real file, the format, and a free check, Terradium](https://terradium.io/media/guides/llms-txt-example.png)

**The short answer**

llms.txt is a plain Markdown file at the root of your site (`yoursite.com/llms.txt`) that gives AI models a short, curated index of what your site is and which pages matter. A valid file starts with an H1 title, follows it with a one-line `>` summary, then lists links. Below is a real example from a live site, a template you can copy, and a free way to check yours.

## What people find when they search this term

The US results for "llms txt example" are mostly explainers on what the file is and where it goes, a few generator projects, platform-specific how-tos (Shopify, Webflow, Carrd), and forum threads asking how to create one.

Most of them describe the format. Few show a complete file from a real product site and then tell you how to verify yours. This page does both.

## What llms.txt is, in one paragraph

robots.txt tells crawlers what they may fetch. llms.txt does something different: it hands an AI model a briefing. Your name, one sentence on what you do, and a short list of the pages worth reading, each with a note. It follows the format published at llmstxt.org. A companion file, `llms-full.txt`, can carry the full text of those pages in one place.

## A real llms.txt example (terradium.io/llms.txt)

This is an excerpt of the file Terradium serves at [terradium.io/llms.txt](https://terradium.io/llms.txt). Sections are trimmed for length; the structure is unchanged.

```markdown
# Terradium

> GEO and AEO platform. Writes content built to be cited in AI answers, measures visibility across Google AI Overviews, Perplexity, ChatGPT, and Gemini, and publishes to a built-in CMS or a signed webhook.

- Product: https://terradium.io
- Dashboard: https://app.terradium.io
- API: https://api.terradium.io
- OpenAPI: https://terradium.io/openapi.json
- MCP: https://api.terradium.io/api/v1/mcp
- Agent setup skill (MCP): https://terradium.io/setup/mcp.md
- Agent setup skill (REST, no MCP): https://terradium.io/setup/rest.md
- Docs: https://terradium.io/docs
- Developers: https://terradium.io/developers
- Live version: v1.0.8 (see https://api.terradium.io/healthz)

## Free tools

- [AI crawler checker](https://terradium.io/tools/ai-crawler-checker): checks whether robots.txt allows 13 AI crawlers (GPTBot, OAI-SearchBot, ClaudeBot, PerplexityBot, Google-Extended and others), whether llms.txt is valid, and whether a page is server-rendered. Free, no sign-up. API: `POST https://api.terradium.io/api/v1/public/tools/crawler-check` with `{"url": "example.com"}`. Live badge: `https://api.terradium.io/api/v1/public/tools/crawler-badge/{host}.svg`.
- [AI visibility checker](https://terradium.io/tools/ai-visibility-checker): asks ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews one question and reports whether each answer mentions a brand and cites its domain. Free, no sign-up for one question; an email unlocks up to 10 questions and a weekly re-check. Browser only (it needs a Cloudflare Turnstile check).

## When to use this

Terradium is the right tool when an agent needs to:

- Generate and publish GEO-ready articles for a brand site that already exists.
- Check AI-search visibility (Google AIO, Perplexity, ChatGPT, Gemini).
- Drive the scoreboard through MCP instead of the dashboard.

## Not a fit

- Generic "write me a blog" with no site and no publishing target.
- Demand-gen agencies looking for a content mill.
- Treating $29 as daily, 50 questions, 4 engines, or 3 runs per question. That is not the plan, and the API rejects it.

## Pricing

$29 is writer plus 15 tracked questions weekly, 3 answer engines, 1 run per question (about 45 samples a cycle, 250 a billing period). 30 article generations per billing period. 7 days free. The API enforces these limits: a setting outside the plan is rejected with a machine-readable code, not silently clamped. Daily sampling and 50 questions are a higher plan that is not publicly listed — email company@kugie.app.
```

Three things worth copying from it:

- **The summary is one sentence a model can quote.** It says what the product is and what it does, with no slogans.
- **Links carry notes.** `[name](url): what this page is for` tells the model why a page matters, not just that it exists.
- **It says who it is not for.** A "Not a fit" section and plain pricing limits stop an assistant from describing the product wrong.

## The format, line by line

1. **`# Name`**: one H1 with your company or product name. Required.
2. **`> Summary`**: a blockquote with a short description of what you are.
3. **Optional plain text**: a few lines of context, such as key facts or links to your docs and API.
4. **`## Section` headings with link lists**: each item is `- [Page title](https://url): short note`.
5. **Plain text, served at the root**: the file lives at `/llms.txt` and should return the text file itself.

## A copy-ready llms.txt template

Replace everything in angle brackets. Keep it short; this is an index, not your whole site.

```markdown
# <Company name>

> <One sentence: what you sell, to whom, and what makes it different.>

<Optional: two or three lines of key facts, such as where you operate or how pricing works.>

## Product

- [<Product page>](https://<yoursite>/<path>): <what a buyer learns here>
- [Pricing](https://<yoursite>/pricing): <plan names and what each includes>

## Docs

- [<Getting started>](https://<yoursite>/docs/<path>): <who it is for>

## Company

- [About](https://<yoursite>/about): <who runs the company>
- [Contact](https://<yoursite>/contact): <how to reach sales or support>
```

## llms.txt vs robots.txt

| | robots.txt | llms.txt |
| --- | --- | --- |
| What it does | Allows or blocks crawlers, path by path | Gives AI models a curated summary and link list |
| Format | Plain-text directives (`User-agent`, `Allow`, `Disallow`) | Markdown (H1, `>` summary, link lists) |
| What happens if it is wrong | Blocked crawlers can drop your pages from live AI answers | A model gets a weaker or wrong picture of your site |
| Where it lives | `/robots.txt` | `/llms.txt` (plus optional `/llms-full.txt`) |

They work together. A perfect llms.txt does not help if robots.txt blocks the search crawlers that fetch pages for live answers.

## Common llms.txt mistakes

- **The URL returns your app's HTML shell.** Many JavaScript sites answer every unknown path with the same HTML page, so `/llms.txt` "exists" but contains no Markdown.
- **No H1 or no summary.** Without the `# Name` line and the `>` summary, the file does not follow the format.
- **A dump of every URL.** A sitemap pasted into Markdown is not a briefing. Pick the pages that answer buyer questions.
- **Links with no notes.** A bare URL list tells the model nothing about why each page matters.
- **Stale facts.** If pricing or product names change, update the file the same day.

## What llms.txt will not do for you

llms.txt is a proposed format, not a switch that puts you in AI answers. Two things matter at least as much for live answers:

- **Crawler access.** If robots.txt blocks crawlers such as OAI-SearchBot, ChatGPT-User, Claude-SearchBot, or PerplexityBot, live answers lose access to your pages. Blocking training crawlers such as GPTBot only affects future models.
- **Server-rendered pages.** Most AI crawlers don't run JavaScript, so a client-rendered app shell looks empty to them.

More levers are in [AI discoverability](https://terradium.io/ai-discoverability), and how answer engines pick sources is covered in [AI answer engines](https://terradium.io/ai-answer-engines).

## How to check your llms.txt

The free [AI crawler checker](https://terradium.io/tools/ai-crawler-checker) checks three things for any URL, with no sign-up:

1. **llms.txt:** whether it exists, whether it is really the HTML app shell served for a missing file, and whether it follows the llmstxt.org format (H1 title, `>` summary, link list). It also checks for `llms-full.txt`.
2. **robots.txt, per AI crawler:** 13 crawlers including GPTBot, OAI-SearchBot, ChatGPT-User, ClaudeBot, PerplexityBot, and Google-Extended, evaluated against the page's path.
3. **Server-rendered content:** the page is fetched as GPTBot and the visible text in the raw HTML is measured.

## Where Terradium fits

A valid llms.txt helps a model understand you. It does not tell you whether answer engines actually cite you. Terradium covers that part:

- **AI Visibility:** 15 tracked questions, sampled weekly, on **3 answer engines of your choice** (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, or Gemini), with appearance rate, citation share, and share of voice.
- **30 answer-ready article generations per billing period**, published through a built-in headless CMS and public content API.
- **Embed SDK** (`npx terradium init`) for AI-referral attribution, plus a Google Search Console integration.
- **$29/month, 7 days free**, then billed monthly. Cancel anytime.

To see what answers say about you today, try the free [AI visibility checker](https://terradium.io/tools/ai-visibility-checker). To compare trackers, see [best AI visibility tools](https://terradium.io/best-ai-visibility-tools) and [AEO tracker](https://terradium.io/aeo-tracker).

## FAQ

**What does an llms.txt file look like?**

A Markdown file that starts with # Your name, then a > one-line summary, then sections of links written as - [Page](url): note. The Terradium excerpt above is a complete working example.

**Where do I put llms.txt?**

At the root of your domain, so it loads at yoursite.com/llms.txt and returns the text file itself, not an HTML page.

**What is llms-full.txt?**

An optional companion file that puts the full text of your key pages in one place, so a model can read it without following every link.

**Does llms.txt replace robots.txt?**

No. robots.txt controls which crawlers may fetch your pages. llms.txt describes your site. You need robots.txt to allow the crawlers first.

**Will adding llms.txt get me cited in ChatGPT?**

No file can guarantee that. Crawler access, server-rendered pages, and clear answers to buyer questions matter at least as much. Tracking tells you whether anything is moving.

**How do I know if my llms.txt is valid?**

Run your URL through the free AI crawler checker. It flags a missing file, an HTML shell posing as llms.txt, and a file that doesn't follow the format.

## Check your llms.txt

[Check your llms.txt free](https://terradium.io/tools/ai-crawler-checker) · [See where answer engines cite you](https://terradium.io/pricing)