Publish llms.txt and agents.md with Hermes Agent
Managing llms.txt and agents.md with Hermes Agent means using a memory-keeping agent in your terminal or chat app to see which AI discovery files your store serves and, when a version is wrong, to have StoreSEO switch back or reset it.
Last updated: October 2026
Set up Hermes Agent for StoreSEO
Skip this if Hermes Agent is already connected. The full guide, with the alternatives, is on the Hermes Agent page.
- 1
Add StoreSEO to config.yaml
Add this under mcp_servers in ~/.hermes/config.yaml. If the file already has an mcp_servers block, add only the storeseo entry. Then start a new Hermes session, or run /reload-mcp in the one that is open.
YAMLmcp_servers: storeseo: url: "https://mcp.storeseo.com/mcp" auth: oauth - 2
Sign in to your store
On first connect Hermes prints an authorize URL and waits for the sign-in. Run this command to start it yourself or to re-authorize later. Pick your Shopify store and approve. Hermes caches the tokens in ~/.hermes/mcp-tokens/storeseo.json.
Terminalhermes mcp login storeseo
How does this work in Hermes Agent?
Hermes Agent runs from a terminal or from Telegram, Discord and Slack, and once the storeseo entry is in ~/.hermes/config.yaml and you have run hermes mcp login storeseo, you can ask it about the files AI crawlers read. A typical first message is which llms.txt version is live. Hermes calls storeseo_start, then storeseo_get_llms_txt_status and storeseo_list_llms_txt_versions. Both are reads. The status says which version the public /llms.txt serves, and the list shows up to ten stored versions with their dates, whether they were manual or scheduled, and delivery statuses.
This job suits Hermes because its memory carries across sessions. Tell it once that you prefer the version without blog posts, and a later session can compare against that preference. The point to understand is that the live file is the active version, which is not always the newest. A fresh generation activates itself, but storeseo_activate_llms_txt_version can put an older one back, republishing its stored content to your theme. StoreSEO tells the agent to name the version and wait for your yes first. storeseo_delete_llms_txt_version is permanent, and deleting the active one promotes the next newest, so Hermes should say which version will go live.
agents.md has no versions. storeseo_get_agents_md_status tells you whether a custom file or Shopify's default serves, and storeseo_reset_agents_md removes the custom text for good. If you want a copy before a reset, ask Hermes to fetch the public URL and save the text into your Hermes folder or a file in the working directory first. Hermes' tools include list can restrict the agent to the status and list tools if you want a session that can look but not change anything.
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You: The newest llms.txt looks wrong. Put the previous version back.
- storeseo_start read-only
- storeseo_list_llms_txt_versions read-only
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Hermes Agent: Version 7 is active and version 6 is the one before it, generated last Tuesday. Activating version 6 republishes it to your live theme and Shopify Files. Switch to version 6?
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You: Yes, activate version 6.
- storeseo_activate_llms_txt_version needs approval
- storeseo_get_llms_txt_status read-only
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Hermes Agent: Version 6 is now active at your /llms.txt. Version 7 is still stored if you want it back.
What to ask Hermes Agent
Use StoreSEO to list my llms.txt versions and tell me which one is live and which is newest.
Switch my live llms.txt back to the version from before the last rebuild. Name the version and wait for my yes.
Fetch my current agents.md and save it to agents-backup.md here, then tell me what resetting it would 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 Hermes Agent 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 Hermes Agent
Start a new Hermes session or run /reload-mcp after editing config.yaml, or the open session will not see the storeseo tools. Hermes' own tool-approval controls are not described in its MCP documentation, so for deleting versions and resetting agents.md rely on the confirmation StoreSEO asks the agent for and read each request before you answer. A hermes cron job for this work has nobody to say yes, so keep it to status and version listings and do rollbacks in a chat you can answer.
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 Hermes Agent switch my store back to an older llms.txt?
Yes. It lists the stored versions with storeseo_list_llms_txt_versions and, after your yes, calls storeseo_activate_llms_txt_version, which republishes that version to your storefront. StoreSEO keeps the latest ten.
What does Hermes do when I ask it to reset agents.md?
After you confirm, it calls storeseo_reset_agents_md, which makes Shopify's default serve again within seconds. The custom text is discarded with no history, so ask Hermes to save a copy from the public URL first if you want one.
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 Hermes Agent guides