> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.zerotwo.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Web Search

> Access real-time information from the web with ZeroTwo's neural search technology powered by Exa

## What is Web Search?

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.

<Note>
  Web Search is powered by Exa's neural search technology, which understands meaning rather than just matching keywords.
</Note>

## When to Use Web Search

Enable web search when you need:

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Current Information" icon="clock">
    Breaking news, recent events, latest updates, or time-sensitive data
  </Card>

  <Card title="Fact Checking" icon="check-circle">
    Verify information, find sources, or confirm accuracy of claims
  </Card>

  <Card title="Research" icon="magnifying-glass">
    Gather information from multiple sources on a topic
  </Card>

  <Card title="Specific Data" icon="database">
    Find statistics, reports, documentation, or technical specifications
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Enabling Web Search

### During a Conversation

<Steps>
  <Step title="Enable the Toggle">
    Click the **Web Search** toggle in the top bar before sending your message

    <Info>
      The toggle turns blue when active, indicating web search is enabled for your next message.
    </Info>
  </Step>

  <Step title="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
  </Step>

  <Step title="Send Your Query">
    Type your question and send. AI will automatically search the web and incorporate findings.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Review Results">
    AI responses include:

    * Information found from web sources
    * Citations with links to original sources
    * Source credibility indicators
  </Step>
</Steps>

### 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

<Tip>
  You can still disable web search for individual messages even when it's on by default.
</Tip>

## Search Focus Options

Choose the right focus for better results:

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Auto">
    **Best for most queries**

    AI 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
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Company">
    **Business intelligence**

    Focuses on company information, profiles, news, and business data.

    **Example queries**:

    ```
    Tell me about Tesla's recent earnings
    What does Anthropic do?
    Recent news about Microsoft
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Research">
    **Academic and scientific**

    Prioritizes academic papers, research studies, and scientific publications.

    **Example queries**:

    ```
    Latest research on climate change
    Find studies about intermittent fasting
    Recent papers on neural networks
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="News">
    **Current events**

    Searches recent news articles from reputable news sources.

    **Example queries**:

    ```
    What happened in tech today?
    Latest political developments in Europe
    Recent sports scores and highlights
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="PDF">
    **Documents and reports**

    Finds PDF documents, whitepapers, reports, and documentation.

    **Example queries**:

    ```
    Find AWS architecture whitepapers
    Locate industry reports on renewable energy
    Technical documentation for React
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="GitHub">
    **Code and repositories**

    Searches GitHub repositories, code examples, and developer resources.

    **Example queries**:

    ```
    Find React authentication examples
    Popular Python machine learning libraries
    How do projects implement OAuth?
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Personal">
    **People and profiles**

    Finds information about individuals, their work, and public profiles.

    **Example queries**:

    ```
    Who is the CEO of OpenAI?
    Find information about author Malcolm Gladwell
    Background on researcher Geoffrey Hinton
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="LinkedIn">
    **Professional networking**

    Searches LinkedIn profiles and professional information.

    **Example queries**:

    ```
    Find CTOs in fintech startups
    People working in AI research at Google
    Software engineers with React experience
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## How It Works

### 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

<Info>
  Neural search is especially powerful for complex queries where traditional keyword search falls short.
</Info>

### Search Process

What happens when you enable web search:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Query Analysis">
    AI analyzes your question to understand what information is needed
  </Step>

  <Step title="Web Search">
    Neural search finds relevant web pages, documents, and sources
  </Step>

  <Step title="Content Extraction">
    Relevant information is extracted from found sources
  </Step>

  <Step title="Synthesis">
    AI combines information from multiple sources into a coherent response
  </Step>

  <Step title="Citation">
    Response includes citations with links to original sources
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Reading Web Search Results

### 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

### Source Indicators

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Credibility Score" icon="shield-check">
    High, Medium, or Low based on source authority
  </Card>

  <Card title="Recency" icon="calendar">
    Publication or last update date
  </Card>

  <Card title="Source Type" icon="file">
    Academic, News, Blog, Documentation, etc.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Domain Authority" icon="building">
    Indicates trustworthiness of the website
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

### Fact-Checking Tips

<Warning>
  Always verify critical information from multiple sources, especially for important decisions.
</Warning>

**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

## Example Use Cases

### 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

### 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

### 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

### 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

## Advanced Features

### 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.

### Multi-Step Research

For complex research tasks:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Initial Query">
    ```
    What are the latest AI breakthroughs?
    ```

    Gets overview of recent developments
  </Step>

  <Step title="Follow-Up">
    ```
    Tell me more about the transformer architecture improvements
    ```

    Dives deeper into specific topic
  </Step>

  <Step title="Synthesis">
    ```
    Summarize how these advances impact natural language processing
    ```

    Connects findings and provides insights
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Privacy & Data Usage

### 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

### What Doesn't Get Searched

<Check>
  **Your privacy is protected**:

  * Previous conversation context (unless explicitly referenced)
  * Files you've uploaded
  * Personal information in your account
  * Other conversations or projects
</Check>

### 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

## Limitations & Considerations

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Temporal Coverage">
    **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
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Content Access">
    **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
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Search Quality">
    **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
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Troubleshooting

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="No results found">
    **Try**:

    * Rephrase your query more broadly
    * Remove very specific constraints
    * Try different search focus
    * Check if topic is too niche or recent
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Outdated information">
    **Solutions**:

    * Use "News" focus for current events
    * Add temporal keywords ("recent", "2025", "latest")
    * Specify time period in query
    * Verify publication dates in citations
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Irrelevant results">
    **Improve accuracy**:

    * Be more specific in your query
    * Use appropriate search focus
    * Add context or constraints
    * Specify what you're looking for
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Best Practices

<Tip>
  **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
</Tip>

## Cost & Usage

### Free Tier

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

### Pro Tier

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

### Team Tier

* Unlimited web searches
* Team search history
* Enhanced source filtering

<Info>
  Web search usage resets daily at midnight UTC.
</Info>

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Deep Research" icon="magnifying-glass-chart" href="/tools/deep-research">
    For comprehensive multi-source research
  </Card>

  <Card title="Code Interpreter" icon="code" href="/tools/code-interpreter">
    Analyze web data with code execution
  </Card>

  <Card title="Projects" icon="folder" href="/workspaces/create-workspace">
    Save research in organized workspaces
  </Card>

  <Card title="Memory" icon="brain" href="/tools/memory">
    Remember important findings across conversations
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

<Check>
  Web Search brings real-time information to your AI conversations - use it whenever you need current data!
</Check>