Overview
Elthian AI Licensing lets you clearly declare how AI systems may access, index, and reuse your site’s content.
It achieves this by publishing consistent, machine-readable policy signals in standard locations — making your intent explicit rather than implied.
The plugin focuses on policy declaration, consistency, and auditability. It does not block AI systems at the network level.
What the Plugin Does
Elthian AI Licensing generates AI usage rules across multiple channels, all derived from a single resolved policy for perfect consistency:
- robots.txt (virtual, filter-based directives)
- llms.txt (AI-specific crawler notice)
- HTTP response headers (per-page license signals)
- Machine-readable policy JSON (canonical declaration at
/.well-known/ai-policy.json) - Optional AI license sitemap (
ai-license-sitemap.xml)
These outputs ensure crawlers, agents, and platforms receive the same clear message.
What the Plugin Does Not Do
- It does not firewall or technically block AI crawlers.
- It does not guarantee third-party compliance (enforcement remains third-party dependent).
- It does not replace copyright law or contractual licensing.
- It does not interfere with SEO plugins or traditional search indexing.
The plugin expresses your intent clearly — enforcement depends on platforms honoring those signals.
Installation
- Install Elthian AI Licensing (Lite) from the WordPress plugin directory (search for “Elthian AI Licensing”) or download the zip file directly here.
- Activate the plugin.
- You’ll be automatically taken to the onboarding screen.
- Or navigate manually: AI Licensing in the WordPress admin menu.
No account, subscription, or external service is required for the Lite version.
Choosing a Global AI Policy
The global policy sets the default rule for your entire site.
Choose from our standardized licenses:
- NoAI — Complete prohibition on AI access (crawling, training, embeddings, product use).
- NoTrain — Allows referential discovery & citation; prohibits training & most other uses.
- UseOnly — Permits human-in-the-loop assistance; prohibits expressive or substitutive outputs.
- NonCommercial — AI use allowed only for non-commercial purposes.
- Public — Broad reuse permitted, including training and commercial applications.
- Custom — Fine-grained, policy-driven controls (configurable per capability).
For full license details and the complete suite, visit elthian.com/licensing.
Once selected, the global policy automatically updates all output channels (robots.txt, llms.txt, headers, JSON, sitemap).
URL-Specific Overrides
For mixed-policy sites, apply different rules to specific pages or patterns:
- Use stricter policies on sensitive sections (e.g., premium content → NoAI).
- Apply more permissive rules where appropriate (e.g., open resources → Public).
- The rest of the site remains governed by the global default.
Overrides are resolved after the global policy and feed directly into the outputs.
Understanding the AI License Sitemap
The optional ai-license-sitemap.xml indexes only URLs with non-default (overridden) policies.
- Sites with a single global policy will have an empty or absent sitemap — this is normal and expected.
- The sitemap complements (does not replace) the other signals.
- It makes scope explicit and auditable, especially useful for large or mixed-policy sites.
Verifying That Outputs Are Working
After saving settings, quickly confirm everything is live:
- Visit
https://yoursite.com/robots.txt - Visit
https://yoursite.com/llms.txt - Inspect HTTP response headers on any page (e.g., via browser dev tools → Network tab)
- View the policy JSON (usually at
/.well-known/ai-policy.json) - If overrides exist, check
https://yoursite.com/ai-license-sitemap.xml
All channels should reflect the same resolved policy.
Common Configuration Patterns
- Single-policy site
One global license → No overrides → Empty/absent sitemap → Simplest setup. - Mixed-policy site
Global default + URL/pattern overrides → Sitemap lists only overridden URLs → Ideal for blogs with premium sections, portfolios, or enterprise content.
Both patterns are fully supported and valid.
Lite vs Pro
Lite (current version)
- All outputs generated locally
- No external communication
- No license verification/snapshots
- Fully functional for basic declaration
Pro (upcoming/enhanced)
- Server-backed verification & signed policy snapshots
- Multi-site / granular scope management
- External audit trails & evidence tools
- Advanced crawler directives & extended headers
Core policy behavior is identical between Lite and Pro.
Next Steps
- Review the full license suite and explanations
- Dive deeper into Policy JSON structure and URL overrides
- Add URL overrides if your site needs mixed rules
- Consider Pro for verification, multi-site support, or audit needs
Final Note
Elthian AI Licensing reduces ambiguity in the AI era.
By publishing consistent, explicit, machine-readable signals across standard channels, it ensures your intent is unmistakable — even though ultimate enforcement depends on third-party adoption and respect for those signals.
Questions or feedback? Reach out via the plugin support or elthian.com/contact.