llms.txt and agents.md Publish llms.txt and agents.md with Claude
Publishing llms.txt and agents.md with Claude means asking Anthropic's chat assistant, through the StoreSEO connector, to check what your Shopify store serves to AI crawlers and shopping agents, generate fresh files and switch back to an older version when one is wrong.
Last updated: October 2026
Set up Claude for StoreSEO
Skip this if Claude is already connected. The full guide, with the alternatives, is on the Claude page.
- 1
Add StoreSEO as a custom connector
In Claude, open Customize, then Connectors, choose + Add and then Add custom connector. Name it StoreSEO and paste this URL as the remote MCP server URL.
URLhttps://mcp.storeseo.com/mcp
- 2
Approve your store
Claude opens the StoreSEO sign-in in your browser. Pick your Shopify store and approve access. Then start a new chat and ask this to confirm the connection works.
PromptUse StoreSEO to show me my store's SEO score breakdown.
How does this work in Claude?
You work in a Claude chat tab on the web or in Claude Desktop, with the StoreSEO custom connector switched on for the conversation. A good first message is simply whether your llms.txt and agents.md are up to date. Claude calls storeseo_start, then storeseo_get_llms_txt_status and storeseo_get_agents_md_status. Those are reads, so they run straight away and come back as a short summary: your saved llms.txt settings, the latest version and whether a rebuild is due, the public URL, and whether /agents.md serves a custom file or Shopify's default.
Generating is where the chat pauses. Generating llms.txt writes a template into your live theme and uploads a copy to Shopify Files in the same run, so StoreSEO tells Claude to warn you first, and Claude should ask before it calls storeseo_generate_llms_txt. It then polls the status until generation finishes, which takes a minute or two, and you can leave the tab open while it does. Generating agents.md is a separate request: it publishes live at once and spends AI Content Optimizer credit, so Claude should name both before it calls storeseo_generate_agents_md. When it finishes you get the published text and the URL back in the chat, which is a comfortable place to read and adjust your reply before asking for another pass.
Versions are easy to manage in conversation. Ask to see them and Claude calls storeseo_list_llms_txt_versions, shows which one is active, and can make an older one live with storeseo_activate_llms_txt_version. Deleting a version and resetting agents.md are the two steps that cannot be undone, and Claude's own tool prompts give you a second chance to stop each one.
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You: Is my llms.txt current, and does my store have its own agents.md?
- storeseo_start read-only
- storeseo_get_llms_txt_status read-only
- storeseo_get_agents_md_status read-only
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Claude: llms.txt was last generated three weeks ago and a rebuild is due because your settings changed since. /agents.md is still Shopify's default. Want me to regenerate llms.txt? It writes a template to your live theme and a copy to Shopify Files in one run.
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You: Yes, regenerate llms.txt.
- storeseo_generate_llms_txt needs approval
What to ask Claude
Check my llms.txt and agents.md with StoreSEO. Which versions are live and is a rebuild due?
Generate a new llms.txt with products and collections only. Tell me what it writes to before you run it.
List my llms.txt versions and make last week's the live one. Say which version you will activate before you do.
- Is my llms.txt up to date, and which version is live right now?
- Generate a new llms.txt that includes products and collections but not blog posts. Warn me before it goes live.
- Show me my llms.txt versions and switch back to the one from last week.
- Does my store serve a custom agents.md or Shopify's default?
- Write an agents.md for my store and publish it. Tell me what it costs first.
- Reset agents.md to Shopify's default.
What StoreSEO does: llms.txt and agents.md
llms.txt is a curated map of your store for AI crawlers, and agents.md tells AI shopping agents who you are and how to buy. StoreSEO generates both from your store data and publishes them to your live theme; the agent checks status, generates, switches llms.txt versions and resets agents.md to Shopify's default.
Requires: agents.md generation spends AI Content Optimizer credit and needs at least one published product.
- 1
Check what is live
The agent reads the llms.txt status (settings, latest version, whether a rebuild is due, public URL) and the agents.md status (custom file or Shopify's default, public URL).
- 2
Warn before publishing
Generating llms.txt writes a template to your live theme and uploads a copy to Shopify Files in the same run, with no separate publish step. Generating agents.md publishes it live at once and spends credit. The agent says so and waits for your yes.
- 3
Generate and wait
llms.txt generation takes a minute or two; the agent polls the status until it finishes. agents.md returns the published text and its URL straight away.
- 4
Manage versions
StoreSEO keeps the latest ten llms.txt versions. The live file serves the active version, which is not always the newest, and any version can be made active again.
- 5
Roll back
Deleting a version is permanent. Resetting agents.md drops the custom file so Shopify's default serves again, and there is no history to restore it from.
llms.txt and agents.md reference
| llms.txt | Generated from your products, collections, pages and posts; served at your store's /llms.txt |
|---|---|
| Where it is written | A template in the live theme plus a copy in Shopify Files, in the same run |
| Schedule | llms.txt can regenerate on a saved schedule; settings passed with a run are saved for scheduled runs |
| Versions kept | The latest ten; the live file serves the active one |
| Generation time | About one to two minutes for llms.txt |
| agents.md | AI-written from your brand profile, top products, collections and contact details; served at /agents.md |
| agents.md publish | Live immediately; replaces Shopify's native default |
| agents.md reset | Shopify's default serves again within seconds; the custom text is gone for good |
Rules Claude follows
- The agent tells you that llms.txt generation writes to your live theme before it starts.
- agents.md generation publishes live and spends credit, so the agent says both and waits for your yes.
- Deleting an llms.txt version and resetting agents.md cannot be undone; the agent confirms each one.
- Deleting the active llms.txt version promotes the next newest automatically, so the agent says which version will go live.
In Claude
On the Free plan Claude allows one custom connector, so StoreSEO may be taking the only slot you have. On Team and Enterprise an owner adds the connector under Organization settings, Connectors before you can sign in. Anthropic advises Allow always only for servers you trust; for this job keep the generate, activate, delete and reset tools on ask, because StoreSEO's warning in the chat is an instruction and Claude's own prompt is what actually stops a live theme write.
What runs without asking. Reads such as SEO scores, store listings, settings and Google reports run straight away. Generating a preview spends AI credit but writes nothing, and StoreSEO tells the agent to say what a generation will cost before it runs one. Applying content, optimizing images, changing settings, publishing llms.txt or agents.md, writing a product description and deleting anything wait for your yes in the conversation. That yes is an instruction the agent follows, not a lock on the server, so your client's own tool-approval setting is the hard stop.
Questions
Can Claude publish llms.txt to my Shopify store?
Yes. With the StoreSEO connector, Claude can call storeseo_generate_llms_txt, which writes the file into your live theme and uploads a copy to Shopify Files. StoreSEO tells Claude to warn you before it starts, and Claude's tool prompt is your hard stop.
Does Claude show me the agents.md it wrote?
Yes. storeseo_generate_agents_md returns the published markdown, its public URL and the credit used, so Claude can paste the text into the chat. The file is already live by then, so ask Claude to preview your intent first and reset it if you do not like the result.
What is the difference between llms.txt and agents.md?
llms.txt is a curated map of your store for AI crawlers and answer engines, served at /llms.txt. agents.md is the file AI shopping agents read to understand your brand and how to shop with you, served at /agents.md. StoreSEO can generate both.
Does generating llms.txt change my theme?
Yes. The same run writes an llms.txt template into your live theme and uploads a copy to Shopify Files. There is no separate publish step, which is why the agent should warn you before it starts.
Can I go back to an older llms.txt?
Yes. StoreSEO keeps the latest ten versions, and any of them can be made the active one, which republishes it to your storefront. Deleting a version is permanent.
Can I undo a generated agents.md?
You can reset it, which makes Shopify's native default serve again within seconds. The custom text is discarded with no history, so keep a copy if you might want it back.
Keep going
llms.txt and agents.md with other agents
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