Mintlify against ReadMe on what an agent reads
In short
Mintlify also serves the file at /.well-known/llms.txt and advertises llms.txt, llms-full.txt, the API catalog, MCP server card and agent card in an HTTP Link header, plus an X-Llms-Txt header. Mintlify leads on markdown on request, 2 to 1; ReadMe: Markdown for Agents is a documented setting under AI Discoverability; defaults vary by setting.
The sourced difference
ReadMe returns markdown 404s with agentTools front matter and redirects guessed URLs such as /docs.md to the matching llms.txt; Mintlify returns a markdown 404 with links to llms.txt, llms-full.txt and up to three related pages, and splits llms.txt above 100,000 characters. Source, read 4 November 2026.
The rubric side by side
| Key | Mintlify | ReadMe |
|---|---|---|
| Content in the initial HTML | 2, on by default | 2, on by default |
| Real status codes | 2, on by default | 2, on by default |
| llms.txt generation | 2, on by default | 2, on by default |
| llms.txt linking | 2, on by default | 2, on by default |
| Markdown on request | 2, on by default | 1, with setup |
| JSON-LD output | 1, with setup | 0, not offered |
| OpenAPI exposure | 2, on by default | 2, on by default |
| Fenced, tagged code | 2, on by default | 2, on by default |
| Total | 15 of 16 | 13 of 16 |
The two differ on 2 of the numeric keys: markdown on request, JSON-LD output. Evidence for each score is on the profiles of Mintlify and ReadMe.
Verdicts by reader
- Technical SEO
- Both return real 404s to agents; ReadMe also catches guessed paths with redirects.
- Docs owner
- For large API references, Mintlify splitting and ReadMe Summarize Index solve the same size problem differently.
- Front-end developer
- Neither needs custom routing; both keep llms.txt current from navigation.
What each leaves undone
Mintlify
- Does not publish the llms.txt behind a fully authenticated site to tools that cannot sign in.
- Does not cap llms-full.txt size; the 100,000 character split applies to llms.txt only.
ReadMe
- Does not promise that an agent will request llms.txt.
- Does not keep a custom llms.txt in sync with content changes.
Work left to the developer: Mintlify, Low: write a description in each page frontmatter so llms.txt entries carry one. ReadMe, Low: review the AI Discoverability toggles; a custom llms.txt stops automatic updates.
Sources
- docs.readme.com: the difference https://docs.readme.com/main/changelog/upgraded-llms-txt, read 4 November 2026
- Mintlify: documentation https://www.mintlify.com/docs/ai/markdown-export, read 4 November 2026
- ReadMe: documentation https://docs.readme.com/main/docs/ai-discoverability, read 4 November 2026
Last reviewed 4 November 2026