---
title: NLWeb
description: Serve an NLWeb /ask endpoint over your generated docs and publish
  the schema feeds + robots.txt Schemamap directive that make the site
  conversational for agents.
related:
  - title: MCP server
    href: /docs/reference/mcp
    description: The other hosted agent surface — same artifacts, MCP transport.
  - title: Agent readability
    href: /docs/reference/llm
    description: robots.txt, sitemaps, and the manifest the /ask handler reads.
lastModified: "2026-06-12T23:05:40+01:00"
---
`leadtype/nlweb` makes your docs site answer [NLWeb](https://nlweb.ai)
natural-language queries. It has two halves:

* **Runtime**: `createAskHandler()` mounts a Web-standard `/ask` endpoint over
  the generated artifacts — list-mode answers backed by the same search index
  the [docs MCP server](/docs/reference/mcp) uses. No LLM, no new content
  surface.
* **Generate-time**: with `agents.nlweb.enabled`, `leadtype generate` emits a
  schema.org JSONL feed (`/feeds/schema.jsonl`), a `/schema-map.xml` that lists
  it, and a `Schemamap:` directive in robots.txt so retrieval systems can find
  the feeds.

## Mount the /ask endpoint

```ts
// app/ask/route.ts (Next App Router)
import { createAskHandler } from "leadtype/nlweb";

const handler = createAskHandler({ artifacts: "./public" });
export const GET = handler;
export const POST = handler;
```

The handler accepts the NLWeb request shapes — `?query=` params, a flat JSON
body, or the `{ query: { text }, prefer: { streaming } }` document — and
answers with:

```json
{
  "query_id": "…",
  "_meta": { "response_type": "answer", "version": "0.55" },
  "results": [
    {
      "url": "https://example.com/docs/quickstart",
      "name": "Quickstart",
      "site": "example.com",
      "score": 12.4,
      "description": "Install and configure the package.",
      "schema_object": { "@type": "TechArticle", "…": "…" }
    }
  ]
}
```

Streaming is opt-in: request it with `prefer.streaming: true`, `?streaming=1`,
or an `Accept: text/event-stream` header and the handler responds with SSE
`start` / `result` / `complete` events. (NLWeb defaults to streaming; leadtype
defaults to the JSON document so plain fetches and scanners get what they
expect.)

`mode=summarize` / `mode=generate` need an LLM and are not implemented —
queries always answer in list mode.

## Emit the schema feeds

```ts
// docs/docs.config.ts
agents: {
  nlweb: { enabled: true },
},
```

`leadtype generate` then writes `/feeds/schema.jsonl` (one schema.org
`TechArticle` per docs page), `/schema-map.xml` listing the feed, and adds
`Schemamap: <baseUrl>/schema-map.xml` after the `Sitemap:` line in robots.txt.
The root `llms.txt` also links the `/ask` endpoint under `## Agent
Interfaces`. Set `agents.nlweb.endpoint` if you mount the handler somewhere
other than `/ask`.

Hosts that regenerate robots.txt at request time pass the directive through
`createRobotsTxtResponse({ schemamapUrlPath: "/schema-map.xml" })`.