How to add an llms.txt file to WordPress
To add llms.txt to WordPress, write a short Markdown file that describes your site and links to its best pages, then serve it at yoursite.com/llms.txt. With the free Hydrogen SEO plugin you do this from Tools → LLMS.txt Editor: edit the default template, click Save Changes, and the file is live with no file upload.
Be clear about what you are publishing. llms.txt is a proposed convention, not a web standard. No major AI provider has committed to reading it, it is not a Google ranking signal, and it cannot block anyone. It is a ten-minute, zero-risk bet, and writing it forces you to decide which pages actually represent your site.
Step by step
1. Check whether a file already exists
Open yoursite.com/llms.txt in a private browser window before changing anything.
- A 404 means nothing is published yet. Carry on.
- Some content means a physical file sits in your web root, or another plugin already serves one. If it is a physical file, the Hydrogen SEO editor shows a warning and stays disabled, because the web server serves the file directly. Delete or rename it over SFTP or your host's file manager, or keep editing that file by hand.
2. Pick the pages worth listing
llms.txt is curated, not exhaustive. Your XML sitemap already lists everything. Pick the pages that answer the questions people actually ask about you:
- Core service, product or pricing pages
- Your best guides or documentation
- About and contact pages, so a reader knows who is behind the site
- Policies people ask about: shipping, returns, booking, cancellation
Leave out tag archives, paginated lists, thin posts and legal boilerplate.
3. Write the file in the proposed format
The proposal uses plain Markdown: an H1 with the site name, a one-paragraph blockquote summary, then H2 sections of links with a one-line description each. An Optional section holds material a system can skip.
# Northside Bike Repair
> Independent bike repair shop in Leeds offering same-week servicing,
> e-bike repairs and wheel builds. This file lists the pages that answer
> most customer questions.
## Services
- [Service menu and prices](https://example.com/services/): Every service tier with prices and turnaround.
- [E-bike repairs](https://example.com/e-bikes/): Brands we support and what we cannot fix.
## About
- [About the shop](https://example.com/about/): Mechanics, location and opening hours.
## Optional
- [Blog](https://example.com/blog/): Maintenance tips and shop news.
Write the summary for someone with zero context. It may be the only line a system quotes about you.
4. Paste it into the llms.txt editor
- In wp-admin, open Hydrogen SEO → Tools → LLMS.txt Editor.
- On a fresh install you see the default template: site name, a Topics placeholder and Important Links.
- Replace the placeholder text with your own file. Keep the Markdown headings intact.
- Click Save Changes. The file is served at
/llms.txtstraight away.
If you make a mess of it, Reset to Default restores the template in one click. The llms.txt editor docs show each screen.
5. Check the live file and its headers
Open yoursite.com/llms.txt again. You should see your text exactly as written. Hydrogen SEO serves it as text/plain with an X-Robots-Tag: noindex, follow header, so the file itself does not show up as a page in Google results. You can confirm the header from a terminal:
curl -I https://example.com/llms.txt
If you still see old content, purge your page cache or CDN. A cached copy in front of WordPress is the usual reason.
6. Set a reminder to keep it current
A stale llms.txt that points at deleted or renamed pages is worse than none. Review it when you launch a service, change prices, retire a product or restructure URLs. Clicking every link once takes two minutes.
Developers can generate part of the content from code with the hydrogen_seo_llms_txt_content filter, listed in the filters reference.
What llms.txt does and does not do
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Does it block AI training? | No. That is a robots.txt job, and even robots.txt is a request. |
| Does it affect Google rankings? | No. Google has not said it uses the file. |
| Does it replace my sitemap? | No. The sitemap lists everything; llms.txt curates. |
| Is anyone reading it? | Check your server access logs for requests to /llms.txt. A fetch in the logs proves a visit, not use. |
If you want to control which AI crawlers fetch your pages at all, see how to block AI crawlers in robots.txt. The llms.txt guide on our blog covers the honest status of the proposal in more depth.
Where it fits in the bigger picture
llms.txt is the cheapest item on an AI search checklist and the least proven. Direct answers near the top of your pages, clean server-rendered HTML and valid schema have far more evidence behind them. Do those too: optimizing for AI Overviews walks through the work that matters more.
Common questions
Do I need an account to use the llms.txt editor?
No. The editor is part of the free plugin and works without a hydrogenseo.com account or credits.
Should I also publish llms-full.txt?
Only if you have documentation that benefits from a full-text version. The companion formats in the proposal are even less adopted than llms.txt itself, so start with the core file.
Can I upload llms.txt by FTP instead?
Yes. A plain text file in your web root works. The downside is that you have to remember it exists, and the plugin editor is disabled while a physical file is present.
Will llms.txt make ChatGPT cite my site?
Nothing guarantees a citation. The file gives any system that reads it an accurate summary in your words, which is the whole benefit.