Real llms.txt Examples and Copyable Templates

A good llms.txt is a short Markdown file: an H1 name, a one-line blockquote summary, a few key facts, then H2 sections of links with short notes. At Layer3Labs, we publish an llms.txt on this site and on the other sites we build and operate. To skip the formatting, start from a preset in our free llms.txt generator. It sets the H2 sections for your site type, sorts your imported pages into them, and downloads the finished file.

Real llms.txt Examples and Approaches

Real llms.txt files range from short indexes that point artificial intelligence (AI) agents to other files, to full lists of every documentation page. The Vercel file provides a concise root index that outlines product capabilities, establishes agent rules, and routes models to deeper resource files. One of those rules tells agents to ask for approval before changing account resources.

``text # Vercel > Vercel is a cloud platform for building, deploying, and scaling web applications and AI workloads. Use this index to find machine-readable documentation and platform resources. Follow the linked indexes when you need individual pages. ## When to use Vercel - Deploy and scale web applications, APIs, and AI workloads from a Git repository or the Vercel CLI. ``

The Svelte file splits its documentation into three sizes. It points models toward abridged, compressed, and complete versions, alongside modular package references. A Notes section explains what each size leaves out.

``text # Svelte Documentation for LLMs ## Documentation Sets - [Abridged documentation](https://svelte.dev/llms-medium.txt): A shorter version of the Svelte and SvelteKit documentation, with examples and non-essential content removed - [Compressed documentation](https://svelte.dev/llms-small.txt): A minimal version of the Svelte and SvelteKit documentation, with many examples and non-essential content removed - [Complete documentation](https://svelte.dev/llms-full.txt): The complete Svelte and SvelteKit documentation including all examples and additional content ## Individual Package Documentation - [Svelte documentation](https://svelte.dev/docs/svelte/llms.txt): This is the developer documentation for Svelte. ``

The Cloudflare developer documentation uses a federated index pattern. The root file provides an overview and links directly to dedicated per-product files across nine functional categories. Every link in the Cloudflare file carries a one-line note.

``text # Cloudflare Developer Documentation Explore guides and tutorials to start building on Cloudflare's platform. > Each product below links to its own llms.txt, which contains a full index of that product's documentation pages and is the recommended way to explore a specific product's content. ``

The Stripe documentation file splits its links into 27 H2 sections by product. It opens with explicit operational guidance, directing agents to verify package versions in the npm registry rather than relying on memorized version numbers. One of its 27 sections gives instructions for large language model (LLM) agents. Most links carry a one-line note, and an Optional section at the end holds Support and Changelog.

``text # Stripe Documentation ## Docs - [Testing](https://docs.stripe.com/testing.md): Simulate payments to test your integration. - [API reference](https://docs.stripe.com/api.md) - [Receive payouts](https://docs.stripe.com/payouts.md): Set up your bank account to receive payouts. ``

Four more files show other choices. Anthropic hosts a 90.9 KB file with 822 links in our count, pointing assistants directly to a Model Context Protocol (MCP) documentation server at platform.claude.com/docs/mcp. Mintlify instructs agents via its blockquote to append the Markdown file extension to page URLs or transmit an Accept header for text/markdown. Perplexity puts most of its page links in one list directly under its blockquote, while our own file at Layer3Labs structures entry points as natural-language user queries. Anthropic's file also lists 12 languages and links its llms-full.txt on the last line. Mintlify also links a nested docs index, a Full corpus llms-full.txt and an agent skill.md.

Other public files are worth a look too. OpenAI publishes one at developers.openai.com, Google publishes one for its Gemini API docs, and the proposal's own example for FastHTML uses Docs, API, Examples and Optional sections. The Answer.AI file runs to just 12 lines.

The Parts of an llms.txt File

The current version at llmstxt.org is v2, dated August 2026. Jeremy Howard published the original proposal on September 3, 2024.

The proposal says llms.txt files are used most heavily for software documentation. Its guidelines ask for concise, clear language, brief link descriptions and no unexplained jargon.

Pages can also offer a clean Markdown copy at the same address, either with .md added (page.html.md) or with the extension swapped (page.md), and v2 allows both.

The proposal also suggests testing the file by asking an agent questions with only your llms.txt as the starting point. The parts below appear in this order:

• H1 Project Name: The single required element of the entire specification, identifying the primary organization, product, or open-source library.
• Blockquote Summary: An optional short summary under the title that holds the main facts about the project.
• Body Content: Optional Markdown sections placed before the primary lists, excluding subheadings, to convey machine instructions or operational guidelines.
• H2 Resource Lists: Sections of links where each item is a required Markdown link with the page name, optionally followed by a colon and a short note.
• Optional Section: A dedicated H2 section designated for secondary links that an agent may safely ignore when operating within tight context windows.

Eight Public Files Side by Side

We downloaded these eight files on October 26, 2026 and counted their sections and links.

Four patterns stand out in the counts.

• Only the H1 is required, and two of the largest files, Anthropic and Stripe, skip the blockquote.
• The files split into two kinds. Short indexes point onward (Vercel at 5.4 KB, Svelte at 1.7 KB, Cloudflare linking 112 per-product llms.txt files), while full page lists carry every page (Anthropic with 822 links, Stripe with 527).
• Five of the eight use an Optional section.
• Docs sites that list their pages link to .md versions, and Anthropic sends 821 of its 822 links to .md pages. Cloudflare and Svelte link to other llms.txt files instead, and the Layer3Labs file links to ordinary web pages.

Short Index or Full Page List

A short index that links to other files suits a site with many separate docs sets, and a full page list suits a site whose main pages fit in one file. A short root index sends agents on to more specific files, so an agent loads only the part it needs.

Under the version 2 specification updates documented at llmstxt.org changes, files can exist at the domain root or inside dedicated subpaths such as /docs/llms.txt. Autonomous assistants are instructed to select the most specific file matching their task. Version 2 also changed the Optional section. It now calls Optional a useful convention for secondary links and drops its older mechanical meaning.

Organizations operating extensive knowledge bases benefit from dividing content into hierarchical layers, matching the Cloudflare pattern of modular indexes. A site whose docs fit in one file can follow the Stripe pattern and list every page in a single llms.txt.

Ready-to-Use llms.txt Templates

Start from the template that matches your site type. Then swap in your own name, summary and links. The software-as-a-service (SaaS) template lists the product, its pricing page and its help docs, and keeps careers under Optional.

``text # Acme > Acme is invoicing software for freelancers. It sends invoices, chases late payments and syncs with QuickBooks. Plans start at $12/month. Not built for companies with more than 50 staff. ## Product - [Features](https://acme.com/features): What Acme does, feature by feature ## Pricing - [Pricing](https://acme.com/pricing): Plans, limits and what each costs ## Docs - [Help center](https://acme.com/help): Setup guides and troubleshooting ## Optional - [Careers](https://acme.com/careers) ``

The online store template lists collections, then shipping and returns pages, and keeps the brand story under Optional.

``text # Acme Leather > Acme Leather sells handmade leather bags and wallets, shipped from Austin, Texas to the US and Canada. Free US shipping over $75. 30-day returns. ## Collections - [Bags](https://acmeleather.com/collections/bags): Totes, backpacks and crossbody bags ## Help and Policies - [Shipping](https://acmeleather.com/policies/shipping-policy): Delivery times and costs by country - [Returns](https://acmeleather.com/policies/refund-policy): How to return or exchange an order ## Optional - [Our story](https://acmeleather.com/pages/about) ``

The local business template gives the service area, opening hours and a booking link.

``text # Acme Plumbing > Acme Plumbing is a licensed plumber in Denver, Colorado. It handles repairs, water heaters and drain cleaning. Open Monday to Saturday, 7am to 7pm. 24/7 emergency calls. ## Services - [Water heater repair](https://acmeplumbing.com/services/water-heaters): Repair and replacement, gas and electric ## Locations - [Service areas](https://acmeplumbing.com/service-areas): Denver, Aurora and Lakewood ## Contact - [Book an appointment](https://acmeplumbing.com/contact): Online booking and phone number. ``

The developer tool template links .md versions of the quickstart and the application programming interface (API) reference.

``text # Acme SDK > Acme SDK is a TypeScript library for sending transactional email. It runs on Node.js 18+. Every request needs an API key from the dashboard. ## Getting Started - [Quickstart](https://acme.dev/docs/quickstart.md): Install and send a first email ## API Reference - [Send email](https://acme.dev/docs/api/send.md): Parameters, errors and limits ## Optional - [Changelog](https://acme.dev/changelog.md) ``

Our free llms.txt generator incorporates these four baseline layouts alongside dedicated presets for digital agencies and content publishers.

What the Examples Leave Out

An llms.txt file is not a traditional search engine optimization (SEO) ranking factor. Google Search Central says Google Search does not use llms.txt files, and that creating one will neither harm nor help visibility or rankings in Google Search.

Similarly, Chrome Lighthouse provides an llms.txt audit under agentic browsing audits where a missing file is marked not applicable because the file is optional at the moment. Our guide llms.txt explained covers what the file can and cannot do for a site.

The specification serves autonomous AI agents, developer assistants, and retrieval workflows rather than conventional indexing algorithms. llms.txt works alongside an Extensible Markup Language (XML) sitemap rather than replacing it, because sitemaps regularly omit clean content views, exclude external resources, and exceed manageable prompt context sizes.

Structuring Your Site Index

To establish a functional index, start by declaring an H1 title, a one-sentence summary, and direct links to your most-used pages organized under descriptive H2 headings. Place non-critical secondary pages inside an Optional section, and validate your syntax against our free llms.txt checker before pushing updates to production.

In the eight files we counted, the short indexes from Vercel, Svelte and Cloudflare ran from 1.7 KB to 16.8 KB. The full page lists from Anthropic and Stripe ran from 90.9 KB to 97.6 KB. A small business site should not copy a big docs file's layout. A site with large docs should split by section like Cloudflare.

List your most-used pages under H2 headings, add an Optional section, and publish your first llms.txt at your domain root today.