How to add llms.txt to Next.js

Next.js is the easy platform — you fully control the domain root. AI crawlers fetch https://yoursite.com/llms.txt, and there are three clean ways to serve it. Pick based on whether the content is static or generated.

Method A — Static file in /public (simplest)

Drop the file at public/llms.txt. Next.js serves everything in /public from the root, so it's live at /llms.txt with the correct text/plain type. Add public/llms-full.txt the same way if you publish the full version.

Method B — Route handler (App Router, generated)

Want the file built from your own data? Add app/llms.txt/route.ts:

// app/llms.txt/route.ts
export const dynamic = "force-static";

export function GET() {
  const body = `# Example Co

> Open-source analytics for indie developers.

## Docs
- [Quickstart](https://example.com/docs/quickstart): install in 5 minutes
- [API reference](https://example.com/docs/api): every endpoint
`;
  return new Response(body, {
    headers: { "content-type": "text/plain; charset=utf-8" },
  });
}

Build the body string from your CMS, MDX frontmatter, or the same source your sitemap uses so the two never drift apart.

Method C — API route (Pages Router)

On the older Pages Router, the equivalent is an API route plus a rewrite, since /llms.txt isn't a valid file-based page name:

// pages/api/llms.ts
import type { NextApiRequest, NextApiResponse } from "next";

export default function handler(_req: NextApiRequest, res: NextApiResponse) {
  res.setHeader("content-type", "text/plain; charset=utf-8");
  res.send("# Example Co\n\n> ...");
}

// next.config.js
module.exports = {
  async rewrites() {
    return [{ source: "/llms.txt", destination: "/api/llms" }];
  },
};

What to watch for

• Middleware — if you run middleware.ts, exclude /llms.txt from its matcher so it isn't rewritten or auth-gated.
• Content type — a route handler must set text/plain; the default for a Response is text/html.
• Don't block AI bots — serving the file is pointless if your host or CDN blocks GPTBot / ClaudeBot. Check your robots.txt and CDN bot rules.

Related: How to create llms.txt · llms.txt for WordPress · llms.txt for Shopify · vs sitemap.xml