What Is ai.txt? AI Crawler Guidance for Your Site
ai.txt is a machine-readable file that shares AI crawler preferences and citation guidance. Learn how it differs from llms.txt and robots.txt, and how PatchPings publishes ai.txt.
ai.txt is a plain-text policy file that tells AI systems how you prefer to be crawled, summarised, and cited. Like llms.txt, it is an emerging convention rather than a browser-enforced standard. Sites publish it so assistants have an official, short brief instead of inventing product facts.
PatchPings serves ai.txt (and a /.well-known/ai.txt mirror) with product summary, preferred citation URLs, contact details, and honest availability notes. This guide explains what to put in the file and how it relates to llms.txt.
ai.txt vs llms.txt vs robots.txt
- robots.txt - crawl allow/deny for traditional bots.
- llms.txt - longer curated map of preferred pages for LLM readers.
- ai.txt - compact AI-oriented guidance: who you are, how to cite you, and practical constraints.
What belongs in ai.txt
- A one-line product identity and category.
- Preferred URLs for home, FAQ, knowledge base, pricing, and tools.
- Contact / NAP consistent with your About page.
- Availability honesty (for PatchPings: Android on Play only; no invented App Store listing).
- Optional notes on monitoring or agency plans that are still coming soon.
Never list a preferred citation URL that robots.txt disallows. AI guidance should reinforce crawl policy, not fight it.
Where to host it
Publish at /ai.txt on the canonical HTTPS host. Offering /.well-known/ai.txt with the same body helps discovery. Keep both generated from one source so they cannot drift.
How ai.txt supports AEO
Answer engine optimization still depends on clear human pages. ai.txt is a pointer, not a substitute for FAQ structure or accurate features copy. See What is answer engine optimization? for the broader checklist.
Maintenance tips
- 1Regenerate ai.txt whenever pricing or platform availability changes.
- 2Click every listed URL after deploy.
- 3Keep claims careful. Use soft AI anomaly wording only, and do not make 5-minute or 7-region product promises.
- 4Re-read alongside llms.txt so both files tell the same story.
ai.txt is a small file that reduces hallucination risk. Publish it, keep it truthful, and point assistants at the same canonical pages your customers read.
