{
  "kind": "tracker",
  "studySlug": "llmstxt-effect",
  "slug": "llmstxt-adoption-by-tier-tracker",
  "title": "llms.txt adoption by citation tier",
  "description": "Research tracker page for The llms.txt Effect study, focusing on llms.txt adoption by citation tier.",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-03-14",
  "lastTested": "2026-03-14",
  "sourceStudyUrl": "/trakkr-research/llmstxt-effect",
  "sourceStudyTitle": "The llms.txt Effect",
  "claimIds": [
    "llmstxt-effect:adoption",
    "llmstxt-effect:top5k-adoption",
    "llmstxt-effect:top50-adoption"
  ],
  "relatedSlugs": [
    "answer:does-llms-txt-increase-ai-citations",
    "answer:how-common-is-llms-txt-on-ai-cited-domains",
    "fact:llms-txt-adoption-is-only-thirteen-point-three-percent"
  ],
  "methodologySummary": "Built from HTTP scans of 37,894 AI-cited domains, linked to 337,362 citations and 882 citation snapshots in the Trakkr corpus.",
  "limitations": [
    "This is an observational study. It measures correlation with citation outcomes, not a controlled experiment.",
    "Adoption is uneven by sector, so raw averages can hide category concentration in SaaS and developer tooling.",
    "A null citation effect does not mean llms.txt has zero operational value for every workflow. It means the study did not find a measurable citation lift."
  ],
  "keywords": [
    "llms.txt",
    "llms txt effect",
    "AI citations",
    "does llms.txt work"
  ],
  "schemaHints": {
    "pageType": "WebPage",
    "includeDataset": true,
    "includeItemList": true,
    "itemListName": "llms.txt adoption by citation tier"
  },
  "summary": "Adoption of llms.txt peaks at 16.1 percent among the top 5000 cited domains, compared to a baseline of 13.3 percent across the full corpus. However, the top 50 cited domains exhibit a lower adoption rate of 6.0 percent, indicating that the most highly cited head domains do not currently drive llms.txt implementation.",
  "keyFacts": [
    {
      "label": "Adoption rate",
      "value": "13.3%",
      "detail": "Domains with llms.txt in the study.",
      "claimId": "llmstxt-effect:adoption"
    },
    {
      "label": "Top 5k adoption",
      "value": "16.1%",
      "detail": "Adoption among the top 5,000 cited domains.",
      "claimId": "llmstxt-effect:top5k-adoption"
    },
    {
      "label": "Top 50 adoption",
      "value": "6.0%",
      "detail": "Adoption among the top 50 cited domains.",
      "claimId": "llmstxt-effect:top50-adoption"
    }
  ],
  "benchmarkRows": [
    {
      "label": "Adoption rate",
      "value": "13.3%",
      "note": "Domains with llms.txt in the study."
    },
    {
      "label": "Top 5k adoption",
      "value": "16.1%",
      "note": "Adoption among the top 5,000 cited domains."
    },
    {
      "label": "Top 50 adoption",
      "value": "6.0%",
      "note": "Adoption among the top 50 cited domains."
    }
  ],
  "rankedItems": [
    {
      "name": "Top 5,000 cited domains",
      "value": "16.1%",
      "detail": "The highest adoption tier highlighted in the study."
    },
    {
      "name": "Full corpus",
      "value": "13.3%",
      "detail": "Baseline adoption across all scanned domains."
    },
    {
      "name": "Top 50 cited domains",
      "value": "6.0%",
      "detail": "The very head of the citation graph is not highly reliant on llms.txt."
    }
  ],
  "changes": [
    {
      "title": "Baseline Adoption Rate",
      "detail": "The full corpus of scanned domains shows an overall adoption rate of 13.3 percent."
    },
    {
      "title": "Mid-Tier Adoption Peak",
      "detail": "Adoption among the top 5000 cited domains reaches 16.1 percent, representing the highest adoption tier highlighted in the study."
    },
    {
      "title": "Head Domain Adoption",
      "detail": "Adoption among the top 50 cited domains is recorded at 6.0 percent, demonstrating that the very head of the citation graph is not highly reliant on llms.txt."
    }
  ]
}