AI Visibility Ecosystem
The AI Visibility Definition is an open standard. The specifications, the terminology, and the framework are all published under CC BY 4.0 — free for anyone to implement, extend, and build upon.
Here's how the ecosystem is growing.
An Open Standard
Unlike proprietary AI optimisation tools that lock you into a single vendor, AI Discovery Files are plain text and JSON files you publish on your own website. There's no SDK to install, no JavaScript tag to embed, and no third-party dependency. The 10 file format specifications are fully documented with canonical examples, interoperability rules, and a validation framework.
Plain Text Files
No build tools, no dependencies. Create llms.txt and ai.txt in any text editor and upload them to your website root.
Structured JSON
For machine-parseable data, ai.json and identity.json provide validated schemas with JSON Schema files for automated validation.
Platform Independent
Works with any web platform: WordPress, Shopify, custom builds, static sites. If you can serve files from your domain root, you can implement AI Discovery Files.
Reference Implementation
365i AI Visibility Checker
The 365i AI Visibility Checker is the reference implementation of AI Visibility Checking (AV-002). It performs a deterministic, read-only technical audit of any website's AI-facing infrastructure.
The checker validates:
- AI Discovery Files — Presence, structure, and consistency of all 10 file formats
- Identity consistency — Whether the business name, description, and services are unambiguous across files
- Crawler access — Whether AI crawlers are allowed, blocked, or receiving contradictory signals
- Structural readiness — Whether the site structure supports deterministic AI interpretation
Every result is deterministic and verifiable. The same website analysed twice will produce the same findings. No opaque scores, no prompt variance, no black-box weighting.
Check your website's AI Visibility →Built and maintained by 365i
The Specification
The AI Visibility Definition currently specifies 10 AI Discovery File formats, organised into three implementation tiers. Each format has a dedicated specification page with field-by-field documentation, validation rules, and canonical examples.
Start here. These two files address the most critical AI visibility gaps.
identity.json— Structured identity databrand.txt— Naming and terminology rulesfaq-ai.txt— Authoritative Q&A contentai.json— Machine-parseable permissions
Adds identity precision and brand protection.
llm.txt— Compatibility redirectllms.html— Human-readable referencedeveloper-ai.txt— Technical contextrobots-ai.txt— AI crawler directives
Full coverage for maximum AI visibility.
See the Quick Start Guide for step-by-step implementation instructions at each tier.
Adoption Pathways
AI Discovery Files can be implemented by anyone, on any platform, without specialist tools. Here's how different audiences are adopting the standard.
Website Owners
The fastest path to AI Visibility. Create two text files, upload them to your website root, and validate the result with the 365i checker.
llms.txt and ai.txt
3. Upload to your website root
4. Validate your implementation
Web Developers & Agencies
Offer AI Visibility as a service. The specification provides everything needed to implement AI Discovery Files for clients: format documentation, canonical examples, interoperability rules, and validation test prompts.
Platform & CMS Developers
Build AI Discovery File support into your platform. The JSON Schema files enable automated validation, and the plain-text formats are straightforward to generate programmatically from existing CMS data.
Contributing & Community
The AI Visibility Definition is maintained by 365i. The specification, machine-readable formats (JSON and YAML), and all AI Discovery File documentation are published on this website.
Full Specifications
Detailed documentation for all 10 AI Discovery File formats, implementation guides, and the validation framework.
Changelog
Track every update to the definition, specifications, and implementation guides.
Atom Feed
Subscribe to the Atom feed to get notified whenever the definition, specifications, or guides are updated.
Standards Alignment
AI Discovery Files are designed to complement — not replace — existing web standards. They fill specific gaps that current standards don't address: explicit AI permissions, machine-readable identity for LLMs, and structured brand guidelines for AI citation.
| Existing Standard | What It Does | AI Discovery File Complement |
|---|---|---|
robots.txt |
Controls crawler access | robots-ai.txt adds AI-specific granular directives |
| Schema.org | Structured data for search engines | identity.json provides canonical identity for AI systems |
security.txt |
Security contact information | ai.txt declares AI-specific permissions and restrictions |
humans.txt |
Credits and acknowledgements | brand.txt provides machine-readable brand and naming rules |
ads.txt |
Authorised digital sellers | ai.json provides authorised AI interaction guidance |
The Interoperability Guide defines precedence rules for when AI Discovery Files and existing standards contain overlapping or conflicting information. For a deeper comparison of each standard, see AI Discovery Files vs Web Standards.
Get Involved
Whether you're implementing AI Discovery Files for your own website, building them into a platform, or developing tools that consume them — the ecosystem is open and growing.
Start Implementing
Follow the Quick Start Guide to add AI Discovery Files to your website in under an hour.
Check Your Website
Audit your AI-facing infrastructure with the 365i AI Visibility Checker.
Submit Your Site
Add your website to the AI Discovery Files Directory and get your AI Visibility score.
Generate AI Discovery Files from your dashboard
Using WordPress? Install the plugin and create all 10 files in minutes — no coding, no configuration files to edit manually.
Get the PluginRegister in the AI Visibility Directory
Once your AI Discovery Files are published, register your website in the AI Visibility Directory — the verified registry of websites implementing AI Discovery Files. Registration validates your implementation and lists your site for AI systems and industry peers to discover.
Card entry in the directory with automated file validation. Open to any site with a valid llms.txt file. No cost.
Dedicated profile page on the directory with dofollow backlinks to your website — a genuine SEO authority signal from a topically relevant, verified source. Includes an attribution badge and enhanced visibility.