llms.txt is a proposed standard designed to help website owners specify their preferences regarding the crawling and use of their content by large language models (LLMs). As of 2026, here is the current status of llms.txt:
Overview of llms.txt
- Purpose: llms.txt allows website administrators to declare permissions or restrictions for AI companies and LLM providers regarding the use of web content for training or inference.
- Format: Modeled after robots.txt, llms.txt files are placed in the root directory of a website and use a simple syntax to indicate allowed or disallowed access.
Adoption and Usage in 2026
- Adoption: As of 2026, llms.txt has gained moderate attention in the web and AI communities. Some major publishers and organizations have adopted the standard to express their policies about AI data usage.
- Industry Support: Adoption is not yet universal. While several leading AI firms respect llms.txt, compliance across the industry remains inconsistent. Some search engines and LLM providers check for llms.txt, but others have not formally committed to supporting the standard.
- Legal Status: There is ongoing debate about the legal enforceability of llms.txt declarations. Most jurisdictions have not established clear regulations mandating compliance, though discussions about data rights and content usage continue.
Example llms.txt File
Example llms.txt file
User-agent: *
Disallow: /
This example instructs all LLM crawlers to avoid using any content from the website.
Best Practices
- Keep the file updated: Regularly review and update the llms.txt file to reflect current preferences.
- Monitor industry developments: Stay informed about which AI providers are honoring the standard.
- Combine with other measures: Use llms.txt alongside other technical and legal strategies to control data usage.
Note: There is no official centralized resource for llms.txt as of 2026. For ongoing developments, monitor updates from relevant AI and web standards organizations.