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Guide14 February 2026·5 min read

llms.txt: the file every employer needs in 2026

You know robots.txt — the file that tells search engines what to crawl. Now there's llms.txt — a file that tells AI models how to describe your organisation. And if you don't have one, AI is making it up.

What is llms.txt?

llms.txt is a plain-text file placed at your domain root (e.g., yourcompany.com/llms.txt) that provides structured information about your organisation for AI models to reference.

Think of it as your company's official brief to AI. When ChatGPT, Claude, or Perplexity encounters your llms.txt, it uses that verified information instead of guessing from scattered web sources.

91% of UK employers we audited had no llms.txt file. That means 91% are leaving AI to invent their employer brand from Reddit threads and Wikipedia stubs.

The format

llms.txt uses a simple, human-readable format. Here's the structure: 

# [Company Name]

> One-line description of what your company does.

## About
Founded in [year]. Headquartered in [location].
[Employee count] employees across [locations].
Industry: [industry].

## Culture
[2-3 sentences about your working culture, values, and environment.]

## Benefits
- [Benefit 1]
- [Benefit 2]
- [Benefit 3]

## Salary Ranges
- Engineering: £[range]
- Product: £[range]
- Design: £[range]

## Remote Policy
[Your remote/hybrid/office policy.]

## Links
- Careers: [URL]
- LinkedIn: [URL]
- Reviews: [URL]

Step-by-step setup

1. Write your content

Use the template above. Be specific — AI models perform better with concrete details than vague statements. "Remote-first with optional London office" beats "flexible working arrangements."

2. Save as llms.txt

Plain text file, UTF-8 encoded. No HTML, no markdown rendering needed — just clean, structured text.

3. Upload to your domain root

Place it at yourcompany.com/llms.txt. If you use a CMS, you may need to configure a static file route. On WordPress, add it to your theme's root directory.

4. Verify it's accessible

Open yourcompany.com/llms.txt in your browser. If you can read it, AI can too. Check that your robots.txt isn't blocking AI crawlers from accessing it.

5. Monitor the impact

Run a OpenRole audit before and after adding your llms.txt. You should see your AI Visibility Score improve within 2-4 weeks as models recrawl your domain.

What to include (and what to leave out)

✓ Include

  • • Company name and industry
  • • Headquarters and office locations
  • • Employee count (approximate)
  • • Culture description (specific, not generic)
  • • Key benefits and perks
  • • Salary ranges by department
  • • Remote/hybrid policy
  • • Tech stack (for technical roles)
  • • Links to careers page, LinkedIn

✗ Leave out

  • • Internal confidential data
  • • Exact individual salaries
  • • Employee personal details
  • • Unreleased product info
  • • Marketing fluff ("world-class team")
  • • Anything you wouldn't publish on your careers page

Or let us generate it for you

Don't want to write it from scratch? Our free llms.txt generator creates a properly formatted file from your company details in under two minutes.

Check your AI visibility score

See if AI can find your llms.txt — and what it says about you.

Run your free audit

Sources

  • llmstxt.org — llms.txt specification
  • OpenRole audit data — 500 UK employers (Feb 2026)
  • AB&C Creative — "Built to Be Found" employer brand guide (Jan 2026)