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Web Search enables AI to retrieve current, real-time information from across the internet. Instead of relying only on training data, AI can search the web, find relevant sources, and provide you with up-to-date answers with citations.
Web Search is powered by Exa’s neural search technology, which understands meaning rather than just matching keywords.
Enable web search when you need:

Current Information

Breaking news, recent events, latest updates, or time-sensitive data

Fact Checking

Verify information, find sources, or confirm accuracy of claims

Research

Gather information from multiple sources on a topic

Specific Data

Find statistics, reports, documentation, or technical specifications

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During a Conversation

1

Enable the Toggle

Click the Web Search toggle in the top bar before sending your message
The toggle turns blue when active, indicating web search is enabled for your next message.
2

Choose Focus (Optional)

Select a search focus for better results:
  • Auto: Let AI decide (recommended)
  • Company: Business information and profiles
  • Research: Academic papers and studies
  • News: Recent news articles
  • PDF: Documents and whitepapers
  • GitHub: Code repositories and projects
  • Personal: People and professionals
  • LinkedIn: Professional profiles
3

Send Your Query

Type your question and send. AI will automatically search the web and incorporate findings.
4

Review Results

AI responses include:
  • Information found from web sources
  • Citations with links to original sources
  • Source credibility indicators

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Always-On Mode

Enable web search by default:
  1. Go to Settings > Preferences
  2. Find Web Search section
  3. Toggle Enable by default
  4. Choose default focus option
You can still disable web search for individual messages even when it’s on by default.

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Search Focus Options

Choose the right focus for better results:
Best for most queriesAI automatically determines the best search approach based on your question. Recommended for general use.Example queries:
What are the latest developments in AI?
Explain quantum computing recent breakthroughs

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How It Works

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Neural Search Technology

Unlike traditional keyword search, Exa’s neural search understands: Semantic Meaning:
  • Interprets what you’re actually looking for
  • Understands context and intent
  • Finds relevant content even without exact keyword matches
Conceptual Relationships:
  • Connects related concepts
  • Identifies similar ideas and topics
  • Discovers relevant information you might not have explicitly asked for
Content Quality:
  • Prioritizes authoritative sources
  • Weighs credibility and reliability
  • Filters low-quality or unreliable content
Neural search is especially powerful for complex queries where traditional keyword search falls short.

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Search Process

What happens when you enable web search:
1

Query Analysis

AI analyzes your question to understand what information is needed
2

Web Search

Neural search finds relevant web pages, documents, and sources
3

Content Extraction

Relevant information is extracted from found sources
4

Synthesis

AI combines information from multiple sources into a coherent response
5

Citation

Response includes citations with links to original sources

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Reading Web Search Results

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Understanding Citations

Web search responses include source citations: Citation Format: 
[1] Source Title - source-url.com
Main content or quote from this source...

[2] Another Source - example.com
Additional information from this source...
Citation Actions:
  • Click source number to jump to citation
  • Click URL to visit original source
  • Hover for source preview
  • Right-click for additional options

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Source Indicators

Credibility Score

High, Medium, or Low based on source authority

Recency

Publication or last update date

Source Type

Academic, News, Blog, Documentation, etc.

Domain Authority

Indicates trustworthiness of the website

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Fact-Checking Tips

Always verify critical information from multiple sources, especially for important decisions.
Best Practices:
  • Check multiple sources for important facts
  • Consider publication date for time-sensitive information
  • Evaluate source credibility and bias
  • Click through to original sources when needed
  • Cross-reference with known authoritative sources

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Example Use Cases

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Current Events & News

What are the major tech announcements from CES 2025?
AI will:
  • Search recent news articles
  • Find official announcements
  • Summarize key developments
  • Provide links to detailed coverage

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Research & Learning

Find recent studies on the effectiveness of meditation for anxiety
AI will:
  • Search academic databases and publications
  • Find peer-reviewed research
  • Summarize findings and methodologies
  • Include citations to original papers

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Technical Documentation

How do I implement OAuth 2.0 with React and Express?
AI will:
  • Find official documentation
  • Locate code examples and tutorials
  • Search GitHub for real implementations
  • Provide step-by-step guidance with sources

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Market Intelligence

What's the current state of the electric vehicle market?
AI will:
  • Find market reports and analysis
  • Search recent industry news
  • Locate statistics and forecasts
  • Cite data sources

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Advanced Features

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Combining with Other Tools

Web search works seamlessly with other ZeroTwo features: Canvas + Web Search: 
Research sustainable architecture trends and create a report
Creates a Canvas document with current information and citations. Code Interpreter + Web Search: 
Find current stock prices and analyze the trend
Searches for data, then analyzes it with code. Projects + Web Search: In project context, web search results are saved and accessible to team members.

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Multi-Step Research

For complex research tasks:
1

Initial Query

What are the latest AI breakthroughs?
Gets overview of recent developments
2

Follow-Up

Tell me more about the transformer architecture improvements
Dives deeper into specific topic
3

Synthesis

Summarize how these advances impact natural language processing
Connects findings and provides insights

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Privacy & Data Usage

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What Gets Searched

When web search is enabled:
  • Your query is sent to Exa’s search API
  • Search is performed on your behalf
  • Results are returned to ZeroTwo
  • AI synthesizes information for you

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What Doesn’t Get Searched

Your privacy is protected:
  • Previous conversation context (unless explicitly referenced)
  • Files you’ve uploaded
  • Personal information in your account
  • Other conversations or projects

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Data Retention

  • Search queries: Used only for your immediate request
  • Results: Cached briefly for performance
  • Citations: Stored with conversation history
  • No long-term retention of search data

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Limitations & Considerations

Current Capability:
  • Excellent for recent information (days to weeks old)
  • Good for information from past few months
  • May miss very recent developments (hours old)
Best For: News within past year, current trends, recent research
Can Access:
  • Public web pages
  • News articles
  • Academic papers (often abstracts only)
  • Documentation sites
  • Social media posts (public)
Cannot Access:
  • Paywalled content
  • Private databases
  • Subscription-only resources
  • Password-protected sites
Strengths:
  • Understanding semantic meaning
  • Finding conceptually related content
  • Filtering quality sources
Limitations:
  • May miss exact niche content
  • Dependent on web page quality
  • Bias toward popular sources

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Troubleshooting

Try:
  • Rephrase your query more broadly
  • Remove very specific constraints
  • Try different search focus
  • Check if topic is too niche or recent
Solutions:
  • Use “News” focus for current events
  • Add temporal keywords (“recent”, “2025”, “latest”)
  • Specify time period in query
  • Verify publication dates in citations
Improve accuracy:
  • Be more specific in your query
  • Use appropriate search focus
  • Add context or constraints
  • Specify what you’re looking for

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Best Practices

Get better web search results:
  1. Be specific: Include relevant details and context
  2. Use focus options: Choose the right search focus for your query
  3. Verify sources: Click through to check original sources
  4. Follow up: Ask clarifying questions to refine results
  5. Cite your needs: Specify if you need recent vs. comprehensive information

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Cost & Usage

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Free Tier

  • 10 web searches per day
  • All focus options available
  • Full citation access

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Pro Tier

  • 100 web searches per day
  • Priority search processing
  • Advanced filtering options

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Team Tier

  • Unlimited web searches
  • Team search history
  • Enhanced source filtering
Web search usage resets daily at midnight UTC.

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Next Steps

Deep Research

For comprehensive multi-source research

Code Interpreter

Analyze web data with code execution

Projects

Save research in organized workspaces

Memory

Remember important findings across conversations
Web Search brings real-time information to your AI conversations - use it whenever you need current data!