This artifact records a sequence of observable events related to non discovery LLM ingestion infrastructure.
A formal paper was published describing structured data as an upstream ingestion pathway for large language models, independent of ranking or search discovery. The model positioned artifacts such as structured data and LLMs.txt as internal system inputs rather than surface level signals: https://josephmas.com/ai-visibility-implementation/json-the-silent-data-highway-llm-ingestion/
Within days of publication, platform behavior reflected the appearance of LLMs.txt across Google properties, followed by selective removal and retention on developer focused environments. This behavior suggested internal or tooling related use rather than public discovery: https://josephmas.com/ai-visibility-theorems/from-skepticism-to-adoption-how-an-llm-framework-predicted-googles-ai-pivot/
Subsequent public clarification from John Mueller stated in a Reddit comment that LLMs.txt exists for purposes other than discovery: https://www.reddit.com/r/SEO/comments/1q3uocw/does_llmstxt_really_used_by_ai/nxs36cw
Industry reporting later amplified this clarification: https://www.seroundtable.com/google-llms-txt-other-reasons-40703.html
This artifact exists to timestamp the point at which prior ingestion theory, platform behavior, and public clarification converge into a single explanatory frame.