10 common llms.txt mistakes (and how to fix each one)

Most llms.txt mistakes are small and quick to fix once you know what to look for. The biggest one isn't about writing at all: it's an address that shows a web page instead of a text file. After that come missing titles, links written without https://, links that repeat the domain, and files with no sections of links.

This list comes straight from the rules our llms.txt validator checks. For each mistake you'll see what it looks like, why it matters and how to fix it. We've noted how each affects your score: files start at 100, each "must fix" problem costs 40 points and each "should fix" costs 10. A problem repeated on many lines only counts once.

1. The address shows a web page, not a file

What it looks like: you visit yoursite.com/llms.txt and see your homepage, a styled "page not found" page, or a login screen.

Why it happens: many websites, WordPress included, show a normal page for any address that doesn't exist. So when there's no file, you get a page back instead of an error. Security plugins, caching and site migrations can cause it too, even after a file was working.

How to fix it: publish an actual file at the root of your site. On WordPress, Yoast SEO, Rank Math and All in One SEO can each create one; our guide to adding llms.txt to WordPress walks through the options. Our validator gives this a score of 0, because there's no file to read.

2. The file is empty

What it looks like: the address loads a blank page.

How to fix it: this usually means a plugin setting was switched on but never filled in, or a file was uploaded with no content. Add at least a title, a summary and a few links. This also scores 0.

3. The title is missing or isn't first

What it looks like: the file starts with a list of links, a paragraph, or a heading that uses ## instead of #.

Why it matters: the title is the one part the llms.txt proposal requires. It tells the reader whose file this is.

How to fix it: make the very first line your name after a single # and a space:

# Rosie's Bakery

A missing title or a title that isn't on the first line is a "must fix" (40 points). A related, milder case: some tools add a plain "generated by" note above the title. AI tools will usually read past it, so it's a "should fix" (10 points), but the title should still come first.

4. More than one title

What it looks like:

# Rosie's Bakery
> Family bakery in Dublin, Ohio.

# Menu
- [Breads](https://rosiesbakery.example/breads): Sourdough and rye

How to fix it: use one # title for the whole file and ## for each section. Change # Menu to ## Menu.

5. Links written without https://

What it looks like:

- [Menu](rosiesbakery.example/menu): Breads and cakes

Why it matters: without https://, a link like rosiesbakery.example/menu is read as a path on your own site, so it points to rosiesbakery.example/rosiesbakery.example/menu, which doesn't exist.

How to fix it: write every link as a full address: https://rosiesbakery.example/menu. Short paths starting with a slash, like /menu, do work, and our validator only shows them as a tip, but full addresses are safer when a tool reads the file on its own.

6. Links that repeat the domain

What it looks like:

- [Menu](https://rosiesbakery.example/rosiesbakery.example/menu): Breads and cakes

Why it happens: it's usually a copy-paste slip, or a tool that joined your domain onto a link that already had it.

How to fix it: remove the repeated part so the link reads https://rosiesbakery.example/menu. Then open the link to make sure it goes to the right page.

7. Broken link format

Every page in your file should follow one pattern: - [Page name](https://address): short note. Small typos stop a line from being read as a link. The ones we see most:

• A missing ] after the page name: - [Menu(https://...)
• No round brackets around the address: - [Menu] https://...
• A space inside the address: (https://rosiesbakery.example/wedding cakes)

How to fix it: our validator tells you which part of which line is wrong. For spaces in addresses, use the page's real address (copy it from your browser), which will use a hyphen or %20 instead.

8. No sections, or sections with no links

What it looks like: a file with a title and summary and nothing else, or headings with paragraphs under them but no links.

Why it matters: the lists of links are the most useful part of the file. They point readers to the pages that answer real questions.

How to fix it: add at least one ## section listing your key pages:

## Main pages
- [Menu](https://rosiesbakery.example/menu): Breads, pastries and cakes with prices
- [Wedding cakes](https://rosiesbakery.example/weddings): Tastings and how to order
- [Visit us](https://rosiesbakery.example/visit): Address, hours and parking

A section of plain text with no links is fine for background information, and our validator only notes it. An empty heading with nothing under it is a "should fix."

9. Too few pages, or far too many

Too few: one or two links don't say much about a business. List your 3 to 10 most important pages: services or products, prices, about, contact, booking, key policies.

Too many: some tools dump every page and post into the file. That turns a short summary into a second sitemap, and in extreme cases a file of several megabytes. Our validator warns when a file is over 1 MB. Keep llms.txt to the highlights, move secondary pages into an ## Optional section, and if you want to publish all your content as text, put it in a separate llms-full.txt file.

10. The server sends the file as the wrong type

What it looks like: nothing, to the eye. The file may even look fine in your browser. But behind the scenes your server labels it as something other than text, for example as a web page or a download.

Why it matters: tools that check the label may not treat it as a text file.

How to fix it: the file should be served as text/plain or text/markdown. On most hosts that's automatic for .txt files, so if it's wrong, a plugin, CDN or server rule is usually overriding it. Ask your host or developer to check. Our validator shows the type your server sent.

Bonus: links that point to missing pages

A file can be perfectly formatted and still send readers to dead ends. Pages get renamed, services get dropped, a site moves to new addresses. When you run the validator on a live site, it also checks each link and lists any that return "page not found," need a login or show a server error. Fix or remove those lines.

Check your file in a minute

You don't need to memorize any of this. Paste your file or enter your domain in the free validator and you'll get a score, the line number of each problem and the exact change to make. Scores of 80 or more are good. If you'd rather start over, the generator will draft a clean file from your site in about two minutes, and our anatomy of a great llms.txt file shows complete examples to compare against.

Files that worked last month can break after a theme update or migration. If you want someone to keep an eye on it, listing your site includes regular checks, and paid plans email you when something breaks.

Bottom line: make sure the address returns a real text file, start with a single # title, write every link as a full https:// address in the [name](url): note pattern, and keep the file to your most important pages. Then check that every link still opens.