llms.txt V2 is published
Two years after proposing it, Jeremy Howard revised llms.txt. Existing files stay valid; the big additions are subdirectory files and links to Markdown versions of pages.
Last updated
What happened?
The proposal at llmstxt.org was revised on 10 August 2026. It now reads “This is v2 of the proposal, updated based on what I learned from two years of adoption.” The changes page dates it only to August 2026; the day comes from the site’s own modified date and the commit in the proposal’s repository.
What changed?
| Area | In V2 |
|---|---|
| Subdirectory files | Now defined: “a file covers the pages under its path, and the most specific file applies.” |
| Discovery | A page can point to its Markdown version (rel="alternate" type="text/markdown") and to the llms.txt that covers it (rel="describedby"), as an HTML link or an HTTP header. |
| Markdown page URLs | Both page.md and the older page.html.md are allowed. |
## Optional | Still allowed, but it no longer tells tools what to leave out. |
| Context-expansion tools | No longer part of the proposal. Agents are expected to read or search the file and follow its links. |
The background and examples were also rewritten to describe how agents actually use websites.
What does it mean for your site?
An existing llms.txt does not need to change. The format of the file itself is the same.
The new idea worth acting on is pairing pages with Markdown versions of themselves, which suits large sites better than one huge file. If you rely on ## Optional to hide pages from tools, it no longer does that. Our V2 guide covers each change in detail, and the validator follows the new rules.
Sources
Source: llmstxt.org: changes in V2
Coverage: Search Engine Journal, 17 August 2026