discoveryfiles.ai
Project archive

Multilingual sites

Our earlier proposal described language-path files linked from a root llms.txt. These notes preserve that profile. For new optional work, consult the current upstream proposal and your intended tool's requirements.

Multilingual specification Swedish example

The original language-path rule

The original profile placed language variants under language paths, using these three conventions. We did not establish that search engines or AI providers discover language variants through this profile.

  1. 1

    A primary llms.txt at the site root

    The proposal used this as its entry point for the default language.

  2. 2

    A language-path llms.txt for each other language

    At /fr/llms.txt, /sv/llms.txt and so on — matching the language paths your site already uses.

  3. 3

    Links from the root file to each variant

    Under a dedicated ## Language-Specific llms.txt Files heading, in normal link-list format.

/llms.txt 
## Language-Specific llms.txt Files

- [French llms.txt](https://www.yourdomain.com/fr/llms.txt): French-language AI discovery file.
- [Swedish llms.txt](https://www.yourdomain.com/sv/llms.txt): Swedish-language AI discovery file.

The original linking rule

Under the original profile, the root file's language section linked to language-path llms.txt files only. Links to other translated files belonged in each language's file.

Outside the original profile

## Language-Specific llms.txt Files

- [French llms.txt](/fr/llms.txt)
- [French FAQ](/fr/faq-ai.txt)
- [French ai.txt](/fr/ai.txt)

Following the original profile

## Language-Specific llms.txt Files

- [French llms.txt](/fr/llms.txt)
- [Swedish llms.txt](/sv/llms.txt)

The proposal linked localized versions of faq-ai.txt, ai.txt and the other suite files from their own language-path llms.txt. These were conventions within the retired suite.

What the original profile specified

Same format, target language

The profile used the root file's Markdown structure, with descriptions and link notes in the target language.

Links within its own language path

The profile linked to localized pages where they existed.

A link back to the root

The profile recommended a link back to its primary file and the rest of the set.

How the proposal handled different sites

This table records the earlier proposal's choices. Each extra file added facts and links to maintain; the table does not establish a visibility benefit from publishing them.

If your situation is Original proposal Shape
One language, one market The proposal used a single set of files at the root. /llms.txt
One primary language, a few translated pages The proposal used a single root set, with translated pages linked from llms.txt. /llms.txt
Genuinely multilingual, each language a full site section The proposal used a root llms.txt for the primary language and linked to an llms.txt under each other language path. /llms.txt + /fr/llms.txt
Separate legal entities per market The proposal assigned separate domains and file sets to separate legal entities. This is not a general requirement for a multilingual website. Per-domain sets

The option with fewer files to maintain

The proposal also described linking translated pages from one llms.txt, naming the language in each link. This kept the links in one file, but they still needed maintenance as pages changed.

This page summarises the multilingual profile defined in specs/multilingual-sites.md . That document defines the historical profile. Use the current practical guide for new work.