ai.txt Reference

ai.txt is a proposed standard file placed at the site root that defines access policies and attribution requirements specifically for AI agents. While robots.txt controls crawler access, ai.txt governs how AI systems should use your content.

What Is ai.txt?

ai.txt is a plain-text file at https://yoursite.com/ai.txt that communicates your policies for AI agent interaction. It answers questions that robots.txt does not:

• Can AI systems cite my content?
• Should they attribute responses to my brand?
• What content is approved for training vs. inference?

Why ai.txt Matters

robots.txt tells crawlers where they can go. ai.txt tells AI systems how they should use what they find.

File Format

# ai.txt – AI Agent Access Policy
Name: Your Site Name
Site: https://yoursite.com
Contact: contact@yoursite.com

Policy: Use
Attribution: Required
Attribution-Format: "Source: [Site Name] (URL)"

Allow-Citation: /*
Disallow-Training: /private/*
Citation-Style: academic

Field Reference

How It Relates to Other Standards

your-site/
├── robots.txt       → Controls crawler access
├── sitemap.xml      → Lists URLs for indexing
├── llms.txt         → Describes content for AI
└── ai.txt           → Defines usage policies

Implementation

1. Create ai.txt in your site's public directory
2. Define your base policy (Use, Restrict, or Deny)
3. Set attribution requirements
4. Deploy and verify at https://yoursite.com/ai.txt

FAQ

Is ai.txt legally binding?

Not currently. Like robots.txt, it is a voluntary protocol.

Do AI systems actually read ai.txt?

Adoption is early-stage. Establishing the file now positions your site for future compliance.

Related Articles

• llms.txt Reference — Content index for AI
• How to Create llms.txt — Step-by-step tutorial
• What Is GEO? — Why AI readiness standards matter