Shopify writes an llms.txt for your store. Here's what it says, and when to replace it

Shopify now serves an llms.txt file on your store automatically, and what it contains today is a set of instructions for AI shopping agents, not a description of your business. If you sell through Shopify, that default is worth keeping. If you want assistants to understand who you are, add your own version and keep the agent instructions in it.

We replaced ours on braundesign.co in October. Here is what Shopify's default says, what llms.txt can and can't do for you, and how to write one worth having.

What Shopify's default says

We read the default on Shopify's Horizon demo store in November 2026. It's titled "Agent Instructions" followed by the store's name, runs to about 5,800 characters, and is identical to the store's /agents.md file. It tells an AI agent how to shop on the store:

• Use Shopify's Shop skill to search, build carts and check out with Shop Pay.
• Find the store's Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) profile at /.well-known/ucp and its tools at /api/ucp/mcp.
• Use the checkout tools the store exposes in the browser.

There's nothing in it about what the brand sells, who it's for, where it's based or what makes it different. That's by design: it's written for software placing orders, not for an assistant answering a question about you.

Does llms.txt help you show up in AI answers?

Be wary of anyone who promises it does. Google's guidance for its AI features says plainly: "You don't need to create new machine readable files, AI text files, or markup to appear in these features." We haven't seen another AI company commit to reading llms.txt either.

So treat it as a cheap extra. It takes an hour to write, and when an assistant or an agent does fetch it, it gets an accurate, current summary in your words instead of whatever it pieced together from your pages.

Why we replaced ours

Braun Design Co sells services, not products, so instructions for checking out with Shop Pay were no use to anyone reading our site. Our llms.txt now covers what an assistant needs to answer a question about us correctly:

• Who we are, where we're based and how we work, including that we meet Austin clients at their office rather than ours.
• Our services with their starting prices.
• Our case studies, each with a one-line summary and a link.
• Links to the pages that cover each topic in depth.

Every line repeats something that's already on the site. The file adds nothing new. It puts the facts in one place, in plain text.

How to write your own on Shopify

1. Add the template

Create a template named llms.txt.liquid in your theme. When it exists, Shopify serves it at /llms.txt in place of the default. Check /llms.txt on your live store after you publish, and again after theme updates.

2. Keep the agent instructions

Your file replaces Shopify's default completely. If you sell through Shopify, copy the Shop skill and UCP sections from the default into yours so shopping agents can still find them, or confirm that your store's /agents.md still has them.

3. Write facts, not marketing

Lead with one paragraph on who you are and what you sell. Then add short sections with links: product categories, policies such as shipping and returns, where you're based, and anything assistants tend to get wrong about you. Write it as plain text, keep every line true today, and update the file when prices, policies or products change.

Questions we hear

Does my Shopify store have an llms.txt?

Very likely. Go to /llms.txt on your domain. If it starts with "Agent Instructions", you're looking at Shopify's default.

Will an llms.txt get me into ChatGPT or Google's AI Overviews?

Not on its own. Google says you don't need one, and no assistant has promised to read it. What gets you cited is clear, accurate pages with good structured data. An llms.txt summarizes them.

Should I delete Shopify's default?

No. If you don't add your own, keep the default. It helps shopping agents buy from your store.

What's the difference between llms.txt and agents.md?

On Shopify today, both return the same agent instructions by default, and you can replace either one. A template named agents.md.liquid also changes /llms.txt, unless you've added llms.txt.liquid as well. We replaced both on braundesign.co.