Guides · WordPress
llms.txt for WordPress
A plain file uploaded to the web root is served before WordPress routing runs; do not create it as a Page.
Where the file lives
- Upload llms.txt to the site root, the same folder as wp-config.php, using SFTP or your host's file manager. Apache and nginx serve a real file at that path before handing the request to WordPress.
- Some SEO plugins offer to generate an llms.txt for you. If you turn that on, do not also upload a file: keep one source, then check the live URL with the validator to see which one the server is actually serving.
Serving it as text
- A .txt file at the root is served as text/plain by default on Apache and nginx; nothing to configure.
- Managed hosts and caching plugins may keep the old response for a while after you replace the file. Purge the page cache after every update, then re-validate.
The WordPress pitfall: Creating it as a Page
A WordPress Page titled “llms.txt” lives at a pretty permalink such as /llms-txt/ and is served as HTML with the theme around it. Crawlers request /llms.txt exactly, and the validator reports HTML at that path as E5.
The file must be a real file at the root, or a plugin that writes one there.
Check it
Open https://your-domain/llms.txt in a private window: you should see plain text, not your theme.
What goes in the file, section by section, is in the knowledge base. The validator checks 14 rules and shows every deduction.