OpenLens reads how AI models actually answer real questions about your brand. To do that we send queries through two channels, and which one we use depends on the model.Documentation Index
Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.openlens.com/llms.txt
Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
Two channels, one schedule
For ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Google AI Mode, Google AI Overviews, and Grok, we send queries through the same chat interfaces consumers use. We work with partner infrastructure providers to send those queries, on a schedule. The responses come back the way a consumer would see them, including citations and the actual UI structure. For Claude and DeepSeek the same approach is not viable at this time, so we use their public APIs. That means we get the same model and the same answers a developer would see, plus search context where the API exposes it. No web UI in the loop. Mechanically the two channels differ. The scoring downstream treats them the same.Why this matters
The chat UIs and the APIs are sometimes different products. Citations, formatting, and live search behavior can differ between what a model returns through its API and what the same model returns inside its consumer-facing chat app. When we can use the chat surface we do. That keeps the measurement honest with what your prospects actually see.FAQ
What is the difference between web access and API?
When you log on to chatgpt.com you’re using OpenAI’s consumer product, which wraps the model in a UI with live search, citations, ad rules, and other features that aren’t always in the API. The API gives you the raw model. For most of our supported platforms we measure the consumer surface, because that’s where users actually meet your brand.Why can’t you use the chat UI for Claude and DeepSeek?
Different vendors expose their products differently. For Claude and DeepSeek we use their public API plus search, and the answers are representative of what those models say.How often do you run queries?
Daily, weekly, or monthly on a schedule. You pick the cadence and the time of day (UTC) per project in Settings. You can also kick off an on-demand run anytime: the Run queries button at the top of the dashboard,POST /api/prompts/run via the REST API, or the run_prompts tool via MCP. On-demand runs work independently of the schedule.