Do I actually need an llms.txt file?
It is optional and not universally read, but it is cheap enough that there is little reason to skip it.
No major assistant currently guarantees it reads llms.txt, and Google has said it does not use it for Search. So it is not a requirement in the way a crawlable homepage is.
The argument for adding one is cost. It is a small static file, it takes a few minutes, and it costs nothing to maintain. If adoption grows you are already covered.
It also serves as a canonical statement of positioning that you control precisely — useful as an internal reference even setting aside machine readers.
What it will not do is compensate for an unclear homepage or blocked crawlers. Fix those first; add llms.txt as a finishing touch.
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