Publish llms.txt and agents.md with GitHub Copilot
Publishing llms.txt and agents.md with GitHub Copilot means using agent mode in VS Code, connected to StoreSEO through .vscode/mcp.json, to check what your Shopify store serves to AI crawlers, generate both files and roll llms.txt back, beside your theme code.
Last updated: October 2026
Set up GitHub Copilot for StoreSEO
Skip this if GitHub Copilot is already connected. The full guide, with the alternatives, is on the GitHub Copilot page.
- 1
Add StoreSEO to .vscode/mcp.json
Create or open .vscode/mcp.json in your workspace and paste this. VS Code uses a top-level servers key, not mcpServers, and a remote server needs type http.
JSON{ "servers": { "storeseo": { "type": "http", "url": "https://mcp.storeseo.com/mcp" } } } - 2
Start the server and sign in
Run MCP: List Servers from the Command Palette, pick storeseo and start it. If it asks you to sign in, pick your Shopify store in the browser and approve access. Then open Copilot Chat in Agent mode, check the tools icon lists StoreSEO and ask this.
PromptUse StoreSEO to show me my store's SEO score breakdown.
How does this work in GitHub Copilot?
You open Copilot Chat in agent mode in VS Code, with the theme folder open and the StoreSEO server listed in the tools picker. Ask whether llms.txt and agents.md are current and Copilot calls storeseo_start, storeseo_get_llms_txt_status and storeseo_get_agents_md_status. Each call appears in the chat as a collapsible tool step with its inputs and result, and the answer names the active version, the public URLs and whether a rebuild is due.
Generation is where the editor's own confirmation matters. storeseo_generate_llms_txt writes a template into the live theme and uploads a copy to Shopify Files in one run, and storeseo_generate_agents_md publishes live and spends AI Content Optimizer credit. StoreSEO tells Copilot to say so and wait for your yes in the chat, and VS Code's tool confirmation is the hard stop, so read the arguments on the card before you continue. Copilot then polls storeseo_get_llms_txt_status until generation finishes, and you can ask it to open the returned agents.md text next to your theme files for a read.
Versions work as in other clients: storeseo_list_llms_txt_versions, then storeseo_activate_llms_txt_version. Deleting a version and resetting agents.md are permanent. If your repository also has an AGENTS.md or Copilot instructions file, those are instructions for coding agents, a separate thing from the /agents.md your storefront serves, so keep the two names straight when you prompt. StoreSEO only works on the files your storefront serves and never edits anything in your repository, which means your commits stay yours. Run the status tools again after any change to confirm what the storefront now serves.
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You: Reset my store's agents.md. I do not want the custom one.
- storeseo_start read-only
- storeseo_get_agents_md_status read-only
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GitHub Copilot: A custom agents.md is live. Resetting makes Shopify's default serve again within seconds, and the custom text is gone with no history. Do you want me to reset it?
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You: Yes, reset it.
- storeseo_reset_agents_md needs approval
What to ask GitHub Copilot
Using StoreSEO, check my llms.txt and agents.md status and tell me which llms.txt version is live.
Generate llms.txt for products and collections. Warn me about the live theme write and wait for my confirmation.
Reset my storefront agents.md to Shopify's default. Confirm with me first, because the custom text cannot be restored.
- 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 GitHub Copilot 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 GitHub Copilot
VS Code reads the servers key in .vscode/mcp.json, while mcpServers belongs to the portable .mcp.json, so a Cursor or Claude snippet pasted unchanged will not load. On Copilot Business and Enterprise an organization admin must enable the MCP servers in Copilot policy. Keep the generate, activate, delete and reset tools on VS Code's confirmation prompt, since that prompt is the hard stop before 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
Does Copilot agent mode confirm before it publishes llms.txt?
StoreSEO tells the agent to warn you that generation writes to your live theme and to wait for your yes, and VS Code shows a tool confirmation you can read before it runs. The editor prompt is the hard stop, so leave it on for generate tools.
Can I commit the StoreSEO entry in .vscode/mcp.json to my theme repository?
You can commit the URL entry, but it is shared with your team, so keep any access token out of it and use input variables if you ever add one. OAuth sign-in avoids storing a token in the file at all.
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
More GitHub Copilot guides