Agent Ready
llmstxt.org specification

llms.txt checker

The most thorough llms.txt validator on the web. 10 checks against the llmstxt.org specification — including the HTTP Content-Type header and the llms-full.txt companion file that most validators skip.

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What is llms.txt?

The llms.txt file is a markdown file served at /llms.txt that provides LLM-friendly content about your website. It acts as a machine-readable index, similar to how sitemap.xml works for search engines, but optimised for AI agents and language models.

Why should I add llms.txt to my site?

Without /llms.txt, LLMs have to scrape and guess at what your site is for, which hurts citation accuracy. With it, ChatGPT-style agents get a curated, link-rich index to the pages you actually want them to cite - cheaper than rewriting your whole site for LLM-friendly navigation, and the only standard currently in wide use across docs sites.

What does the llms.txt validator check?

Ten checks against the llmstxt.org spec:

  • File is accessible at /llms.txt (HTTP 200)
  • Starts with an H1 heading (project/site name)
  • Contains valid, parseable markdown
  • Has a blockquote summary below the H1
  • Includes H2 sections with file lists
  • Links use the correct [name](url) format
  • Linked URLs are accessible
  • Optional section format used correctly
  • Content-Type is text/plain
  • llms-full.txt companion is available

How does this compare to other llms.txt validators?

The llmstxt.org spec describes eight structural rules, plus implied HTTP semantics. Most validators in circulation — including llmstxtchecker.net — cover the structural rules and follow the linked URLs. Agent Ready does that too, and adds two checks the spec implies but most tools skip: the HTTP Content-Type header and the llms-full.txt companion file.

CheckAgent ReadyTypical other validators
File accessible at /llms.txtyesyes
H1 heading presentyesyes
Valid, parseable markdownyesyes
Blockquote summaryyesyes
H2 sections with file listsyesyes
Link format [name](url)yesyes
Linked URLs return 200yesyes
Optional section used correctlyyesvaries
Content-Type: text/plainyesrarely checked
llms-full.txt companionyesrarely checked
Folded into full agent-readability scanyesno

Information based on the public copy at llmstxtchecker.net as of 2026-05-11. The Content-Type and llms-full.txt checks are part of our 10 llms.txt rules (see methodology); the full-site scan adds 49 more checks across page metadata, site discovery files, and agent-protocol manifests.

Minimal valid example

# Acme Cloud Widgets

> Widgets-as-a-service for serverless apps. Deploy in one command.

## Docs

- [Getting Started](https://acme.dev/docs/start.md): zero-to-deployed in 60s
- [API reference](https://acme.dev/docs/api.md): REST endpoints and auth

## Examples

- [Node.js quickstart](https://acme.dev/examples/node.md)

H1 title, blockquote summary, H2 sections with [name](url) links. That’s the whole spec.

Specification