Web Research
Published February 27, 2026 · Last updated March 5, 2026 · 3 min read
Obvious agents can search the web, read specific URLs, and pull findings directly into your work — all from a chat message. You don't open a browser or copy-paste links. You describe what you need, and the agent handles the rest.
How to ask for research
Tell the agent what you're looking for in plain language. Be specific about the topic and mention any constraints that matter — time frame, industry, number of sources.
Research the top 5 project management tools for mid-size teams. Focus on pricing and key differentiators.
"Research competitors" is a start. "Research the top 5 CRM platforms for B2B SaaS, focusing on pricing tiers and integrations" gets you something you can actually use. The more context you give, the sharper the results.
What the agent searches
The agent pulls results from across the internet — articles, news, documentation, company pages, research papers — and ranks them by relevance. It understands meaning, not just keywords. Ask about "customer retention strategies" and it finds content about churn reduction and renewal optimization even if those exact words don't appear in every result.
For time-sensitive topics, the agent layers its search: recent results from the past week and month alongside older authoritative sources. You can also limit searches to specific sites — "Find what TechCrunch has written about AI agents this year" searches only that publication.
Reading a specific URL
Sometimes you already have the link. The agent extracts the full text from any URL and works with it directly — summarizing, comparing, or pulling out specific data points.
Read this article and summarize the key points: https://example.com/state-of-ai-2026
You can share multiple URLs at once. The agent reads them all and synthesizes across sources.
How findings show up
The agent reads its sources, extracts what's relevant, and presents findings in the context of what you asked for — a structured summary, a comparison table, a document, or direct answers with sources cited. If the agent creates a document or workbook from its research, it appears as an artifact in your project, ready to edit and share.
Exploring a website
For deeper research on a single site, the agent can crawl related pages starting from one URL. It follows links within the domain and brings back a consolidated view.
Read through Acme's docs starting from https://docs.acme.com/getting-started and summarize their API authentication flow.
Tips for better research
Tell the agent what the research is for — "I'm writing a recommendation memo for our CTO" focuses results on decision-making criteria, not just feature lists. Mention a time frame when freshness matters. And combine research with other tasks: "Research our top 3 competitors and build a comparison workbook" connects findings to actual work.
Next steps
- Skills — How agents load specialized knowledge for specific tasks.
- Plans & Approval Workflows — Review and approve multi-step research plans before the agent executes.
- Key Concepts — How projects, agents, and artifacts work together.