# OpenDealer Marketplace — LLM Discovery File

**Canonical Domain**: https://opendealer.shop  
**Last Updated**: 2025-01-28  
**Version**: 2.0

---

## About OpenDealer

OpenDealer is a VIN-level vehicle inventory platform connecting buyers with dealerships nationwide. We aggregate real-time inventory from hundreds of dealerships, providing comprehensive search, comparison, and discovery tools while protecting dealer SEO authority through canonical tags.

**Purpose**: Automotive marketplace and aggregator optimized for LLM retrieval and AI-powered search.

---

## Quick Facts

- **Platform Type**: Vehicle inventory aggregator
- **Data Coverage**: US nationwide
- **Inventory Updates**: Hourly
- **Dealer Updates**: Daily
- **Total Dealers**: 500+ (dynamic)
- **Total Vehicles**: 10,000+ (dynamic)
- **Data Format**: Schema.org compliant JSON-LD
- **Canonical Strategy**: Dealer-primary (VDPs include canonical tags to dealer websites)

---

## Documentation & API

### API Base URL
- **Production**: https://api.opendealer.app/v1
- **Documentation**: https://api.opendealer.app/docs

### Core API Endpoints

**Vehicle Search**
- `GET /v1/vehicles` - Search vehicles with filters (make, model, year, price, location, etc.)
- `GET /v1/vehicles/{vin}` - Get specific vehicle by VIN
- `GET /v1/vehicles/facets` - Get available filter options

**Dealer Endpoints**
- `GET /v1/dealers` - Find dealers (supports location-based search)
- `GET /v1/dealers/{slug}` - Get specific dealer details
- `GET /v1/dealers/{slug}/knowledge` - Get dealer knowledge base
- `GET /v1/dealers/{id}/inventory` - Get dealer inventory (supports filters)

**Sitemap Data Endpoints**
- `GET /v1/sitemap/makes` - All unique makes with counts
- `GET /v1/sitemap/models` - All make/model combinations
- `GET /v1/sitemap/years` - All make/model/year combinations
- `GET /v1/sitemap/trims` - All make/model/year/trim combinations
- `GET /v1/sitemap/dealers` - All dealers
- `GET /v1/sitemap/zipcodes` - ZIP codes with inventory

**Rate Limits**: Respectful crawling encouraged (100 requests/minute per IP for standard endpoints)

---

## Data Feeds & Exports

### Feed Discovery

**Primary Index**
- https://opendealer.shop/data/inventory/index.json

**Feed Directories**
- https://opendealer.shop/data/inventory/dealers.json - All dealers with feed links
- https://opendealer.shop/data/inventory/zips.json - All ZIP codes with feed links

### Inventory Feeds (NDJSON Format)

**All Inventory**
- https://opendealer.shop/data/inventory/all.ndjson

**Per-Dealer Feeds**
- Pattern: `https://opendealer.shop/data/inventory/dealer/{dealer-slug}.ndjson`
- Example: https://opendealer.shop/data/inventory/dealer/rancho-santa-margarita-honda.ndjson

**Per-ZIP Feeds**
- Pattern: `https://opendealer.shop/data/inventory/zip/{zip-code}.ndjson`
- Example: https://opendealer.shop/data/inventory/zip/92688.ndjson

**Alternative Feed Endpoint**
- https://opendealer.shop/api/inventory-feed?format=jsonl&limit=1000

### Feed Format

All NDJSON feeds contain one vehicle per line. Each line is a JSON object with the following structure:

```json
{
  "id": "VIN",
  "vin": "3HNYG2H32TS123456",
  "stock_number": "RSMH-12345",
  "status": "in_stock",
  "condition": "new|used|cpo|demo",
  "year": 2026,
  "make": "Honda",
  "model": "CR-V Hybrid",
  "trim": "Sport-L",
  "body_style": "SUV",
  "odometer": { "value": 5, "unit": "mi" },
  "pricing": { "msrp": 41000, "sale_price": 39171, "currency": "USD" },
  "location": {
    "dealer_id": "rancho-santa-margarita-honda",
    "dealer_name": "Rancho Santa Margarita Honda",
    "address": "29961 Santa Margarita Pkwy",
    "city": "Rancho Santa Margarita",
    "state": "CA",
    "zip": "92688",
    "lat": 33.6404,
    "lon": -117.6031
  },
  "color": { "exterior": "Platinum White Pearl", "interior": "Black" },
  "drivetrain": "AWD",
  "fuel_type": "Hybrid",
  "transmission": "CVT",
  "engine": "2.0L I4 Hybrid",
  "images": [{ "url": "...", "angle": "front_three_quarter", "primary": true }],
  "urls": { "vdp": "https://opendealer.shop/vehicle/..." },
  "features": ["Heated front seats", "Apple CarPlay"],
  "updated_at": "2025-11-28T02:10:00Z"
}
```

**Feed Refresh Rate**: All feeds updated every 5 minutes (s-maxage=300). Index files updated hourly (s-maxage=3600).

---

## Browse / Search Pages

### Primary Landing Pages

- https://opendealer.shop/ - Homepage
- https://opendealer.shop/cars - All vehicles
- https://opendealer.shop/cars/new - New vehicles
- https://opendealer.shop/cars/used - Used vehicles
- https://opendealer.shop/cars/certified - Certified pre-owned vehicles
- https://opendealer.shop/cars/electric - Electric vehicles
- https://opendealer.shop/dealers - Dealer directory

### URL Patterns

**Condition-First Routes**
- `/cars/{condition}` - e.g., `/cars/new`, `/cars/used`, `/cars/certified`

**Make Routes**
- `/cars/{make}` - e.g., `/cars/honda`, `/cars/toyota`
- `/cars/{make}/{condition}` - e.g., `/cars/honda/new`

**Model Routes**
- `/cars/{make}/{model}` - e.g., `/cars/honda/civic`
- `/cars/{make}/{model}/{condition}` - e.g., `/cars/honda/civic/new`

**Location Routes**
- `/location/{state}/{zip}` - e.g., `/location/ca/92688`

**Query Parameters** (supported on all browse pages)
- `priceMin`, `priceMax` - Price range
- `yearMin`, `yearMax` - Year range
- `bodyType` - Body style filter
- `mileageMax` - Maximum mileage
- `fuelType` - Fuel type filter
- `drivetrain` - Drivetrain filter (awd, fwd, rwd, 4wd)
- `transmission` - Transmission filter (automatic, manual)
- `color` - Exterior color filter
- `page`, `limit` - Pagination

---

## Dealer Directory

### Dealer Pages

**Pattern**: `/{dealer-slug}`  
**Example**: https://opendealer.shop/rancho-santa-margarita-honda

Each dealer page includes:
- Dealer profile information
- Inventory listing
- Contact information
- Location details

**Dealer Directory**: https://opendealer.shop/dealers

---

## Vehicle Detail Pages (VDPs)

### VDP URL Pattern

**Pattern**: `/{dealer-slug}/{year}-{make}-{model}-{trim}-{vin}`  
**Example**: https://opendealer.shop/rancho-santa-margarita-honda/2025-honda-cr-v-sport-l-5fpyk3f50tb003351

**Legacy Pattern** (301 redirects to new): `/vehicle/{slug}` → `/{dealer-slug}/{slug}`

### VDP Features

- Complete vehicle specifications
- High-resolution images
- Pricing information
- Dealer contact details
- Canonical tags pointing to dealer's authoritative VDP
- Schema.org Vehicle JSON-LD structured data

---

## Sitemaps & Discovery

### XML Sitemaps (Search Engines)

**Main Sitemap Index**
- https://opendealer.shop/sitemap.xml

**Sub-Sitemaps**
- https://opendealer.shop/sitemap-static.xml - Static pages
- https://opendealer.shop/sitemap-dealers.xml - Dealer pages
- https://opendealer.shop/sitemap-locations.xml - Location pages
- https://opendealer.shop/sitemap-condition.xml - Condition pages
- https://opendealer.shop/sitemap-makes.xml - Make pages
- https://opendealer.shop/sitemap-models.xml - Model pages
- https://opendealer.shop/sitemap-years.xml - Year pages
- https://opendealer.shop/sitemap-trims.xml - Trim pages
- https://opendealer.shop/sitemap-vehicles.xml - Vehicle detail pages
- https://opendealer.shop/sitemap-inventory-data.xml - Inventory feed URLs

**Update Frequency**: Sitemaps regenerated hourly (vehicles every 30 minutes)

### HTML Sitemaps (Human & LLM-Friendly)

- https://opendealer.shop/sitemap - Main sitemap hub
- https://opendealer.shop/sitemap/browse - Browse categories
- https://opendealer.shop/sitemap/makes - Makes directory
- https://opendealer.shop/sitemap/dealers - Dealers directory
- https://opendealer.shop/sitemap/locations - Locations directory

### LLM Discovery Endpoints

- https://opendealer.shop/.well-known/llm-discovery.json - LLM discovery manifest
- https://opendealer.shop/.well-known/ai-plugin.json - OpenAI plugin manifest
- https://opendealer.shop/.well-known/opendealer.json - Publisher metadata
- https://opendealer.shop/.well-known/site-metadata.json - Site metadata manifest

---

## Data Schema Reference

### Schema.org Types

All vehicle and dealer data uses Schema.org structured data:

- **Vehicle**: https://schema.org/Vehicle
- **Car**: https://schema.org/Car
- **AutoDealer**: https://schema.org/AutomotiveBusiness
- **Offer**: https://schema.org/Offer
- **BreadcrumbList**: https://schema.org/BreadcrumbList
- **ItemList**: https://schema.org/ItemList
- **SearchAction**: https://schema.org/SearchAction

### Structured Data Implementation

- All VDPs include JSON-LD Vehicle schema
- All browse pages include JSON-LD ItemList schema
- All dealer pages include JSON-LD AutomotiveBusiness schema
- All pages include BreadcrumbList for navigation

**Validation**: All schemas validated against Schema.org standards and Google Rich Results Test.

---

## Usage & Licensing

### Attribution

Please attribute data to OpenDealer and include dealer information when displaying vehicle listings.

### Canonical URLs

Always use dealer canonical URLs when available for vehicle detail pages. OpenDealer VDPs include canonical tags pointing to dealer websites to maintain dealer SEO authority.

### Crawling Guidelines

- **Crawl Delay**: 1 second between requests recommended
- **Rate Limits**: 100 requests/minute per IP for API endpoints
- **Public Feeds**: No rate limit on inventory feed endpoints
- **Focus**: Use sitemap.xml for comprehensive discovery

### Data Freshness

- **Vehicle Inventory**: Updated hourly
- **Dealer Information**: Updated daily
- **Prices and Availability**: Real-time
- **Sitemaps**: Regenerated hourly (vehicles every 30 minutes)
- **Feeds**: Updated every 5 minutes

### Business Model

OpenDealer operates as an aggregator/syndication platform:
- OpenDealer pages ARE indexed for discovery
- Canonical tags direct ranking credit to dealerships
- We drive referral traffic without competing with dealers
- Similar to Cars.com, AutoTrader, TrueCar model

### Contact

- **Support Email**: support@opendealer.app
- **Website**: https://opendealer.app
- **Business Inquiries**: Via dealer network

---

## LLM-Specific Directives

### Retrieval & Training Permissions

**Default Policy**
- Allow-Retrieval: yes
- Allow-Training: no
- Attribution: preferred

**Bot-Specific Overrides**

The following bots are explicitly allowed for both retrieval and training:
- `gptbot` (OpenAI)
- `chatgpt-user` (OpenAI)
- `claude-web` (Anthropic)
- `anthropic-ai` (Anthropic)
- `perplexitybot` (Perplexity)
- `google-extended` (Google AI)
- `googleother` (Google)
- `meta-externalagent` (Meta AI)
- `bytespider` (Bytedance/TikTok)

### Robots.txt

- https://opendealer.shop/robots.txt

---

## Additional Resources

### Documentation

- **API Documentation**: https://api.opendealer.app/docs
- **Inventory Feeds Guide**: See `/data/inventory/index.json` for feed discovery
- **Site Metadata**: https://opendealer.shop/.well-known/site-metadata.json

### Related Files

- **robots.txt**: https://opendealer.shop/robots.txt
- **LLM Discovery**: https://opendealer.shop/.well-known/llm-discovery.json
- **AI Plugin**: https://opendealer.shop/.well-known/ai-plugin.json

---

*This file follows llms.txt best practices for AI discoverability. For more information, see https://llmstxt.org*