The Complete Guide to ai-instructions.json
Everything you need to know about creating effective AI instruction files that help AI agents understand and represent your business accurately.
What is ai-instructions.json?
The ai-instructions.json file is an emerging standard for providing structured information about your website to AI systems. Similar to how robots.txt tells search engine crawlers how to index your site, ai-instructions.json tells AI agents how to understand and represent your business.
Why You Need It
AI systems like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity are increasingly used for:
Without clear instructions, these AI systems may misrepresent your business or miss key information entirely.
File Structure
A basic ai-instructions.json file includes:
{
"version": "1.0",
"business_info": {
"name": "Your Company Name",
"description": "A clear description of what you do",
"founded": "2020",
"headquarters": "City, Country"
},
"products_services": [
{
"name": "Product Name",
"description": "What it does",
"key_features": ["Feature 1", "Feature 2"]
}
],
"faqs": [
{
"question": "What does your company do?",
"answer": "Clear, factual answer"
}
],
"citation_preferences": {
"preferred_name": "Your Company",
"include_url": true
}
}
Best Practices
1. **Be Factual**: Only include verifiable information
2. **Be Comprehensive**: Cover all major aspects of your business
3. **Be Current**: Update regularly as your business evolves
4. **Be Structured**: Use consistent formatting throughout
Placement
Place the file at: `/.well-known/ai-instructions.json`
This location follows web conventions and makes the file easy for AI crawlers to find.
Testing Your Implementation
Use AgentOptimizer to: