Core Directives
spec_version
Required. Declares the specification version being used.
Content Usage Directives
ai_training_data
Controls whether content can be used as training data for machine learning models.
This is the most critical directive for most publishers, as it directly controls whether their content can be used to train AI models.
ai_use
Controls specific AI applications and use cases beyond training.
Advanced Directives
verification_challenge
Establishes a cryptographic handshake to verify that an AI agent has actually read and understood the rules.
This is an advanced feature for publishers who want to implement verification mechanisms. Most implementations can ignore this directive.
Scope Directives
User-agent
Defines a scope block for specific AI agents or crawlers.
Path
Defines a scope block for specific URL paths or patterns.
Directive Processing
Precedence Order
Directives are processed in the following order of precedence (highest to lowest):- Path-specific directives - Most specific
- User-agent specific directives - Agent-specific
- Global directives - Least specific
Inheritance
When a directive is not specified at a more specific level, it inherits from the global level:Default Values
If no directive is specified at any level, these defaults apply:ai_training_data: allowai_use: search_indexing
Comments
Use# to add comments to your llmtag.txt file:
Comments are ignored by AI agents and are purely for human readability and documentation purposes.
Best Practices
1. Start Simple
Begin with a basic global policy and add complexity as needed:2. Use Clear Comments
Document your policies for future reference:3. Test Your Implementation
Always verify yourllmtag.txt file is accessible and properly formatted: