<!-- Generated from llms-txt-gatsby/index.html. The canonical document is the HTML page. -->

- [ Home ](/) 
/
- [ How to create ](/how-to-create/) 
/
- Gatsby guide            
# llms.txt for Gatsby

Two approaches for Gatsby: a zero-config static file in static/, or programmatic generation in gatsby-node.js using the GraphQL data layer to build links from your content.

Last updated: April 22, 2026

## Option 1: static file in static/

Gatsby copies everything in the `static/` directory directly into the `public/` build output. Place your file at `static/llms.txt` 
and it will be available at `/llms.txt` after `gatsby build`.
static/llms.txt, directory structure   
Copy

```
# Gatsby static file approach
#
# Place your file at: static/llms.txt
# Gatsby copies everything in static/ directly to the public/ build output.
#
# Project structure:
# your-gatsby-site/
# ├── static/
# │   └── llms.txt   ← add this
# ├── src/
# └── gatsby-config.js

```

This approach requires no code changes and works with all Gatsby deployment targets: **Netlify**, **Vercel**, **Cloudflare Pages**, **AWS Amplify**, and self-hosted.

✓ Static file takes precedence

If a file exists in both  static/  and would be generated by a Gatsby page route at the
same path, the static file wins. Use this to your advantage, you can always override with a manual
file if the generated output isn't quite right.

## Option 2: generate in gatsby-node.js

For sites where documentation pages are sourced from Markdown, MDX, or a CMS via the Gatsby data
layer, use the `onPostBuild` lifecycle hook in `gatsby-node.js` to generate `llms.txt` after the build completes. This ensures
the link list is always in sync with your content.
gatsby-node.js   
Copy

```
// gatsby-node.js
// Generate llms.txt from your GraphQL data layer
const { writeFileSync } = require('fs');
const { resolve } = require('path');

exports.onPostBuild = async ({ graphql }) => {
// Query your documentation pages (adjust the query to your data model)
const result = await graphql(`
query {
allMarkdownRemark(
filter: { frontmatter: { collection: { eq: "docs" } } }
sort: { frontmatter: { order: ASC } }
) {
nodes {
frontmatter {
title
description
}
fields {
slug
}
}
}
}
`);

if (result.errors) {
throw result.errors;
}

const docs = result.data.allMarkdownRemark.nodes;
const siteUrl = 'https://yoursite.com';

const links = docs
.map(
(doc) =>
`- [${doc.frontmatter.title}](${siteUrl}/docs/${doc.fields.slug}/): ${doc.frontmatter.description ?? ''}`
)
.join('\n');

const content = [
'# Your Site',
'',
'> One-sentence description of your project.',
'',
'## Documentation',
'',
links,
'',
'## Optional',
'',
`- [Changelog](${siteUrl}/changelog/): Release history.`,
].join('\n');

// Write to public/ (Gatsby's build output directory)
writeFileSync(resolve(__dirname, 'public', 'llms.txt'), content, 'utf-8');
};

```

The `onPostBuild` hook receives the same `graphql` function used in page queries.
Adjust the query to match your data model, the example uses `allMarkdownRemark` but you
can query any Gatsby source plugin (`allMdx`, `allContentfulPage`, etc.).

## Gatsby plugin approach

If you prefer a plug-and-play solution, several community plugins generate `llms.txt` automatically. Search npm for `gatsby-plugin-llms-txt`. Alternatively, the approach above in `gatsby-node.js` is straightforward enough that a custom plugin adds little value for most
projects.

You can also use **gatsby-plugin-sitemap** as a reference, it uses the same `onPostBuild` pattern to write an XML file to `public/`.

## Verify
Build and verify   
Copy

```
# Build
gatsby build

# Check generated file
cat public/llms.txt | head -10

# After deploying, verify the live URL
curl -I https://yoursite.com/llms.txt
# Expected: content-type: text/plain; charset=utf-8
```

## Related guides

- [How to create llms.txt](/how-to-create/), templates and checklist. 
- [llms.txt format reference](/llms-txt-format/), spec details. 
- [Eleventy guide](/llms-txt-eleventy/), another static site generator approach. 
- [Next.js guide](/llms-txt-nextjs/), React framework with SSR. 
- [Validator](/validator/) · [Generator](/generator/).        
## Sources

- [ llmstxt.org, official spec ](https://llmstxt.org/)
- [ Gatsby docs, static folder ](https://www.gatsbyjs.com/docs/how-to/images-and-media/static-folder/)
- [ Gatsby docs, gatsby-node.js ](https://www.gatsbyjs.com/docs/reference/config-files/gatsby-node/)           
On this page

- [ Option 1: static file in static/ ](#static)
- [ Option 2: generate in gatsby-node.js ](#gatsby-node)
- [ Gatsby plugin approach ](#plugin)
- [ Verify ](#verify)