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

# Chats

> Open a single AI answer to see exactly what was said, which brands were named and which sources were used.

A chat is one answer from one AI platform, to one prompt, in one region, on one crawl. Every number in Echod is built from chats, and reading them is the fastest way to understand why a number is what it is.

## Where to find chats

Chats are listed in the **Recent Chats** table on every topic and prompt detail page. Each row shows:

* **Platform** that answered
* **Response Preview**: the start of the answer. **Not Triggered** means the platform showed no AI answer for that search, which happens with Google AI Overviews.
* **Mentions**: logos of the brands named
* **Position** of your brand in the answer
* **Sources**: how many web pages the answer used
* **Location**: the region it was asked from
* **Created**: when it was collected

Tick **Brand mentioned** to keep only answers that name you, or untick it to find the ones that do not. The export icon downloads the list as a CSV file.

## Inside a chat

Click a row to open the full answer.

![Chat detail dialog showing the answer, brand mentions and the Citations tab](https://mintcdn.com/sherpas-design/qmEl5MUhXLHMeD6J/images/analyze/chat-detail.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=qmEl5MUhXLHMeD6J\&q=85\&s=c068119353a06e7b702e2dd370f5cdbc)

### The header

The prompt, followed by the platform, date, region and the model version that produced the answer. A pill tells you whether your brand is mentioned and, if it is, the tone of the wording around it, for example "Positive tone 81/100". See [Sentiment](https://docs.echod.ai/metrics/sentiment.md).

### Mentions

Every brand the answer named, in order:

* Your own brand is marked **Owned**.
* The number next to a brand is its position among all brands this answer named.
* Tracked competitors carry a colored dot for the tone of their mention.

### Response

The answer as the platform showed it. Brand names are highlighted, and hovering a reference shows which source it points to.

### Citations and Sources

Two tabs list the web pages behind the answer:

* **Citations**: pages the answer explicitly references.
* **Sources**: pages the platform retrieved while answering but did not reference.

Both shape the answer. A page can influence what is said without being credited.

### Extra sections

Depending on the platform and the question, a chat can also include:

* **Query Fanout**: the searches the platform ran in the background to research the answer. They show how the platform rephrased your buyer's question.
* **Products**: shopping cards with price, merchant and details such as **About**, **Specs** and **Reviews**. See [Shopping](https://docs.echod.ai/shopping/overview.md).
* **Places**: local results, such as stores or offices on a map.
* **Videos**: videos embedded in the answer.
* **Sponsored**: ads shown alongside the answer.

Use the arrows at the top to move to the previous or next chat in the list.

## Why answers vary

Ask the same question twice and an AI platform may name different brands or use different sources. Answers depend on the region, the day, the platform's search results at that moment and the model's own randomness. Echod handles this by asking repeatedly and reporting rates over time rather than single results.

When reading chats:

* **Read several, not one.** One unfavorable answer is an anecdote. The same claim across many chats is a pattern.
* **Compare within a platform.** Platforms differ in how much they search, how many sources they cite and how many brands they list.
* **Check the fan-out queries.** If the platform searches for terms your pages do not cover, that is a content gap.


This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.