AI Citations API endpoint

POST /v1/citationsAbout AI Citations

Find which sources AI models cite for a query, ranked by how many models cited each, and optionally check whether one specific URL is cited.

Overview

Aggregate the URLs the models cite for a query, ranked by how many models cited each. Pass an optional url and the response adds a lookup telling you whether that specific URL was cited and by which models.

Need to watch those sources weekly or monthly? Save this input with the Tracker API.

Reading the metrics

Citation presence counts returned source URLs in usable answers. No usable answers means unavailable, not 0%.

Reference

POST/v1/citations

$0.01 to $0.06 / model · billed per model queried, so all 5 models = $0.20. Pass models to query fewer.

Parameters

querystringrequired

The query to look up the web-search sources behind.

urlstringoptional

Optional absolute URL or bare domain (with an optional path) to check for. When set, the response reports whether the models' search surfaced it.

modelsenum[]optional

AI surfaces to query, each billed separately; pass a subset when the user names surfaces or wants a lower cost. Omit for the defaults (chatgpt, perplexity, gemini); fullSweep queries all five. google_ai_overview accepts queries up to 700 characters, the others 2000.

Values:chatgptclaudeperplexitygeminigoogle_ai_overview

fullSweepbooleanoptional

Query all five AI surfaces (adds claude and google_ai_overview) for full cross-surface coverage, at a higher cost. Ignored when models is given.

Parameter	Type	Description
queryrequired	string	The query to look up the web-search sources behind.
urloptional	string	Optional absolute URL or bare domain (with an optional path) to check for. When set, the response reports whether the models' search surfaced it.
modelsoptional	enum[]	AI surfaces to query, each billed separately; pass a subset when the user names surfaces or wants a lower cost. Omit for the defaults (chatgpt, perplexity, gemini); fullSweep queries all five. google_ai_overview accepts queries up to 700 characters, the others 2000. Values:chatgptclaudeperplexitygeminigoogle_ai_overview
fullSweepoptional	boolean	Query all five AI surfaces (adds claude and google_ai_overview) for full cross-surface coverage, at a higher cost. Ignored when models is given.

Request

curl https://www.cite42.dev/api/v1/citations \
  -X POST \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $CITE42_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"models":["chatgpt","perplexity"],"query":"best startup CRM","url":"https://acme.example/guides/startup-crm"}'

Response

{
  "query": "best startup CRM",
  "sources": [
    {
      "url": "https://reviews.example/startup-crm",
      "title": "Startup CRM guide",
      "citedBy": [
        "chatgpt",
        "perplexity"
      ],
      "count": 2
    }
  ],
  "lookup": {
    "url": "https://acme.example/guides/startup-crm",
    "cited": true,
    "citedBy": [
      "chatgpt"
    ]
  },
  "measurement": {
    "methodologyVersion": "2026-09-28-v1",
    "surfaces": [
      {
        "model": "chatgpt",
        "provider": "OpenAI",
        "access": "official-api",
        "webSearch": "auto",
        "status": "complete"
      },
      {
        "model": "perplexity",
        "provider": "Perplexity",
        "access": "native-search",
        "webSearch": "always",
        "status": "complete"
      }
    ]
  },
  "metrics": {
    "definitionVersion": "2026-09-23-v1",
    "checkedAnswers": 2,
    "requestedAnswers": 2,
    "excludedAnswers": 0,
    "note": "A descriptive sample, not a market-wide score. Small samples can swing sharply. Failed, empty and incomplete answers are excluded. Cached observations may be reused. A mention is not an endorsement; position is first-mention order, not a Google ranking. Citation presence refers to returned search sources for the watched URL, not consumer chat citation cards.",
    "citation": {
      "url": "https://acme.example/guides/startup-crm",
      "numerator": 1,
      "denominator": 2,
      "percentage": 50,
      "label": "50% — 1 of 2 checked answers"
    }
  },
  "requestId": "…",
  "billing": {
    "cost": {
      "microCredits": 20000,
      "usd": "0.20"
    },
    "balance": {
      "microCredits": 1336000,
      "usd": "13.36"
    }
  }
}