AI-native
What is llms.txt?
llms.txt is a plain-text file at the root of a website, such as /llms.txt, that tells AI assistants and agents what the site is about and where to find the important details. It is written in Markdown, short enough to read in one pass, and meant to be the first thing an AI looks at. Every North Bay Ventures site publishes one.
Updated November 3, 2026
Why do sites publish an llms.txt?
Web pages are built for people: navigation, scripts, layout and repeated menus. An AI assistant answering a question, or an agent deciding how to use a product, wants the facts and the right links without the clutter. An llms.txt gives it a clean summary and a map of where to read more.
It is a proposed convention rather than a formal standard, documented at llmstxt.org. Publishing one doesn't guarantee that any particular AI uses it, but it costs little and gives assistants an accurate source to quote.
What goes in an llms.txt?
The usual shape is:
- a heading with the name of the site or product;
- a one-paragraph summary, often as a blockquote;
- the key facts a reader is most likely to need, such as what it does, who it's for and how it's priced;
- sections of links, each with a one-line description, pointing to the pages that hold the details.
Many sites also publish /llms-full.txt, with the full text of their pages in one file, for tools that want everything at once.
How do North Bay Ventures sites use it?
- Sandboxer publishes an llms.txt with its key facts (machine sizes and prices, plans, regions and interfaces), when it fits and when something else fits better, and links to its docs and guides. Its llms-full.txt has the full documentation in one file.
- Transformer lists its key facts (how offers, payment and payouts work, the 80/20 split, agent access) and links to its docs and blog.
- Flagger.gg describes what's live today and what's still in development, and links to its guides and comparisons.
- northbayventures.com generates llms.txt and llms-full.txt from the same content as its pages every time the site is built, so they can't drift apart.
How does the studio keep facts accurate?
The product sites' llms.txt files are also the source of truth for this site. Every fact northbayventures.com states about Sandboxer, Transformer or Flagger.gg comes from those files, and a daily check compares this site against them and fixes anything that has drifted. Read how the studio uses agents for how that check runs.
How do you write a good one?
- Answer first. Put what the product is and its most important facts at the top.
- Be exact. State prices, limits and rules exactly as your own pages do, and update the file when they change.
- Say what's not there yet. Label features that are still in development, so assistants don't promise them.
- Link, don't paste. Keep the main file short and link to the pages with the detail; put the long version in llms-full.txt.
- Generate it. Build it from the same source as your pages so it never goes stale.
Frequently asked questions
Where does llms.txt go?
At the root of the site, for example https://www.northbayventures.com/llms.txt, served as plain text.
Is llms.txt the same as robots.txt?
No. robots.txt tells crawlers what they may fetch. llms.txt tells AI assistants what the site is about and where the important details are.
What is llms-full.txt?
An optional companion file with the full text of the site's pages in one place, for tools that want everything at once.
Do AI assistants have to use llms.txt?
No. It's a proposed convention, not a requirement, so support varies. It is still a cheap way to give AI tools an accurate summary.