What is robots.txt.dist in Joomla?

It is the template robots.txt that ships with Joomla. On a fresh install it is renamed to robots.txt. On updates it is not renamed, even if robots.txt is missing, so a new copy of robots.txt.dist can appear next to your live file. Your existing robots.txt is kept.

Does Joomla generate an XML sitemap?

Not in core. Install a sitemap extension such as OSMap, which builds XML and HTML sitemaps, then submit the URL it gives you in Google Search Console and add a Sitemap line to robots.txt.

Does Joomla support Schema.org structured data?

Yes, since Joomla 5. The System - Schema.org plugin outputs JSON-LD in the page head, and type plugins such as Article (added in 5.1) let you describe individual content items.

How do I add llms.txt to a Joomla site?

The simplest way is to write the file and upload it to the site root next to robots.txt. If you want Joomla to manage it, the free WT LLMs component creates llms.txt, llms-full.txt and llms.json for Joomla 5 and 6.

AI search readiness · Website builders and CMSs

Joomla SEO and AI search: robots.txt.dist, sitemaps and Schema.org

Joomla installs a plain robots.txt from its robots.txt.dist template and never edits it again, so you manage the file by hand on the server. Core has no XML sitemap and no llms.txt; both come from extensions. Joomla 5 added a System - Schema.org plugin that writes JSON-LD into the page head.

Edit robots.txt: YesA physical robots.txt in the site root, created from robots.txt.dist at install. Edit it over FTP or your host's file manager; Joomla will not create or alter it.
XML sitemap: With a plugin or appNo XML sitemap in core. Use an extension from the Joomla Extensions Directory, such as OSMap; the URL depends on the extension.
llms.txt: With a plugin or appUpload a static llms.txt to the site root, or use an extension such as WT LLMs (free, Joomla 5 and 6), which also builds llms-full.txt.
AI crawlers: No AI-specific setting documented. The default robots.txt.dist has one User-agent: * group that only blocks system folders, so AI crawlers can reach all public content.
Structured data: Joomla 5 core includes a System - Schema.org plugin that injects JSON-LD into the head; schema types such as Article come as separate plugins (Article was added in 5.1).

Joomla robots.txt: the .dist file and the live file

Joomla ships a file called robots.txt.dist. On a fresh install it is renamed to robots.txt. A Joomla maintainer put it plainly in the issue tracker: Joomla will not create or alter the robots.txt file itself. Updates never rename the .dist file, even when robots.txt is missing, which is why a fresh robots.txt.dist often reappears beside your live file after an upgrade. Leave it alone or delete it; it has no effect.

The default rules (from the 5.4 branch) are one User-agent: * group that disallows system folders: /administrator/, /api/, /bin/, /cache/, /cli/, /components/, /includes/, /installation/, /language/, /layouts/, /libraries/, /logs/, /modules/, /plugins/ and /tmp/. There is no Sitemap: line.

To edit it:

Open the site root over FTP, SFTP or your host's file manager.
Edit robots.txt (not the .dist copy).
If Joomla runs in a subfolder such as /joomla/, the file's own comments say it must move to the domain root and every path must be prefixed with the folder name.
Add a Sitemap: line once you have a sitemap, then test the result with the robots.txt checker.

Joomla sitemap options

Core does not produce an XML sitemap. The Joomla Extensions Directory has a Site Map category; OSMap, for example, builds both XML and HTML sitemaps and supports core components. Each extension decides its own URL, so copy the exact address from its settings when you submit it to Google Search Console and add it to robots.txt.

llms.txt and AI crawlers

There is no llms.txt feature in core, but Joomla serves any static file you place in the root, so a hand-written llms.txt works. For a managed option, WT LLMs is a free component for Joomla 5 and 6 that creates llms.txt, llms-full.txt and llms.json, and adds a plugin that serves Markdown versions of pages. Read what llms.txt does before investing time in it: it is a proposal, not a ranking signal.

Joomla has no AI crawler toggle. Because the default file only blocks system folders, GPTBot, ClaudeBot and PerplexityBot can crawl your public pages unless you add named groups.

Structured data in Joomla 5

Joomla 5 added a System - Schema.org plugin. A project collaborator explained in a GitHub discussion that the schema data is injected into the head of the page as JSON-LD automatically. Content types come as separate plugins: the Article type was merged for Joomla 5.1, and a 5.4 fix made the organisation logo URL absolute. Enable the plugins in the Plugins manager, fill in your organisation details in the system plugin, then pick a schema type when editing an article. Check the output with Google's Rich Results Test.

Check your Joomla site

Paste your domain to see which AI crawlers your live robots.txt lets in.

robots.txt checker

Test your robots.txt against every AI crawler

robots.txt generator

Allow AI search, block trainingStay citable in ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini and Copilot answers while opting out of model training.Allow everythingEvery crawler may read every public page. The default when there is no robots.txt.Block all AI crawlersKeep Google and Bing search, block every AI crawler. AI answers will rarely cite or recommend the site.

Sitemap URLPrivate paths (one per line)

robots.txt

# robots.txt generated with https://www.getpicked.app/tools/robots-txt-checker
# Preset: Allow AI search, block training

User-agent: *
Allow: /

# Model training crawlers
User-agent: GPTBot
User-agent: ClaudeBot
User-agent: Google-Extended
User-agent: Applebot-Extended
User-agent: Meta-ExternalAgent
User-agent: Amazonbot
User-agent: CCBot
User-agent: Bytespider
Disallow: /

Questions

What is robots.txt.dist in Joomla?: It is the template robots.txt that ships with Joomla. On a fresh install it is renamed to robots.txt. On updates it is not renamed, even if robots.txt is missing, so a new copy of robots.txt.dist can appear next to your live file. Your existing robots.txt is kept.
Does Joomla generate an XML sitemap?: Not in core. Install a sitemap extension such as OSMap, which builds XML and HTML sitemaps, then submit the URL it gives you in Google Search Console and add a Sitemap line to robots.txt.
Does Joomla support Schema.org structured data?: Yes, since Joomla 5. The System - Schema.org plugin outputs JSON-LD in the page head, and type plugins such as Article (added in 5.1) let you describe individual content items.
How do I add llms.txt to a Joomla site?: The simplest way is to write the file and upload it to the site root next to robots.txt. If you want Joomla to manage it, the free WT LLMs component creates llms.txt, llms-full.txt and llms.json for Joomla 5 and 6.

Other website builders and cmss

Sources

Checked against these pages on 2026-10-19. Operators change their crawlers; check the source before relying on a detail.