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Technology4h 36m ago

John Mueller stated that LLM systems cannot use files like llms.txt to differentiate between websites for search query results.

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Who
Google’s John Mueller
What
John Mueller stated that LLM systems cannot use files like llms.txt to differentiate between websites for search query results.
When
Mon, 15 Jun 2026 16:28:02 GMT · 4h 36m ago
Where
global ·
Why
Mueller argues that llms.txt files are self-reported and cannot be trusted "by design" for differentiating between websites.
The Frontline Impact

How this affects you

This suggests a significant limitation for LLMs in website discovery, impacting how information is surfaced and potentially delaying standardization of agentic systems; however, llms.txt files may still be useful for agent navigation once a website has been chosen.

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  1. Currently Reading4h 36m ago
    John Mueller stated that LLM systems cannot use files like llms.txt to differentiate between websites for search query results.
  2. Technology4h 36m ago
    John Mueller stated that LLM systems cannot use files like llms.txt to decide which websites to surface for a given query.
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