llms.txt for WordPress: how to add it (manual, Yoast, plugins)

WordPress doesn't create an llms.txt file on its own. You can upload one by hand, switch on the feature in the SEO plugin you already use, or install a dedicated plugin. This guide compares the options. New to the format? Read what is llms.txt first.

Before you start: one generator only

On a typical WordPress setup, a real llms.txt file in your site root is served directly by the web server before WordPress even loads, so it wins over any plugin that generates the file on the fly. Yoast, for example, writes a physical file and says it won't overwrite an existing one. Pick one method and switch llms.txt off in the others, or you'll end up editing a file nobody sees.

Option 1: Upload the file by hand

• Draft the file with the free llms.txt generator, or write it yourself following the format at llmstxt.org.
• Save it as llms.txt (plain text, UTF-8).
• Upload it with SFTP or your host's file manager to the WordPress root folder, the one that contains wp-admin and wp-includes.
• Open https://yourdomain.com/llms.txt to confirm it loads as text.

Best for: small sites that want full control over the wording. Downside: you update it yourself. If your host gives you no file access, use one of the plugin options.

Option 2: Yoast SEO

• In the dashboard go to Yoast SEO, then Settings, then Site features.
• Under AI tools, switch on llms.txt and click Save changes.
• Optional: under Customize llms.txt file, choose Manual page selection to pick the pages yourself.

According to Yoast's specification, the automatic file lists the 5 most recently updated posts, pages and custom post types from the last 12 months (cornerstone content first) and the 5 categories and tags with the most content, and it's refreshed weekly by a scheduled action. Yoast notes llms.txt isn't available on multisite.

Option 3: Rank Math

• Go to Rank Math SEO, then Dashboard, and switch on the LLMS Txt module.
• Open Rank Math SEO, then General Settings, then Edit llms.txt.
• Choose post types and taxonomies, set the item limit (100 by default) and add any extra links or text under Additional Content. Noindexed posts are left out.

Rank Math's documentation says the file is empty until you configure it, so check https://yourdomain.com/llms.txt after saving.

Option 4: All in One SEO (AIOSEO)

• Go to All in One SEO, then Sitemaps, then the LLMs.txt tab. AIOSEO says llms.txt is enabled by default.
• Optionally switch on llms-full.txt, which holds page content, and wait about a minute for it to generate.
• Under Additional LLMs.txt Settings, set the title, description, post types, taxonomies, URL limits and exclusions.

Option 5: A dedicated plugin

A separate plugin makes sense if your SEO plugin doesn't offer llms.txt or you want more control over what goes in. Two free options:

• Website LLMs.txt (on WordPress.org, 50,000+ active installs at the time of writing): choose post types and the update frequency, and it skips pages marked noindex in Yoast, Rank Math, SEOPress or AIOSEO.
• RankRoot AI Visibility, our plugin: generates llms.txt with a short "about your site" summary you write, an optional llms-full.txt, and leaves out private, draft and noindexed content. It never overwrites an existing llms.txt file and warns you if one is in the way. It also adds AI crawler rules to robots.txt and Organization schema, which switches off automatically when Yoast, Rank Math or AIOSEO already output it.

Which one should you choose?

• Already on Yoast, Rank Math or AIOSEO and happy with an automatic list: turn on their llms.txt feature. It's the least moving parts.
• Want a hand-written summary of what you sell and who it's for: upload a file or use a plugin with an editable intro.
• Want llms-full.txt too: AIOSEO or the RankRoot plugin.

After you publish

• Read the file. Automatic lists favour recent posts, which aren't always your most important pages. Make sure pricing, product, docs and comparison pages are in it.
• If a caching plugin or CDN is in front of the site, purge it so the new file is served.
• Run the free scan below. It checks that /llms.txt is reachable along with your robots.txt, schema and AI crawler access.