AI assistant that shows its sources

An AI answer with a source is easier to inspect than an answer without one. It is not automatically correct. The link may point to an old document, support only half the sentence or show that a suggestion was mistaken for a decision.

The Plexii assistant tour introduces the source-led approach. The useful question is not “Does this assistant produce citations?” It is “Can I follow a claim back to the material that supports it, understand what was searched and notice what is missing?” That is the difference between decoration and a checking workflow.

Download Plexii free to try grounded workspace answers with citations on Mac or Windows. The personal workspace is free forever, and the trace and citations are always included, with AI usage drawing on your credits or your own supported key. The Plexii assistant overview introduces the workflow, and the source and trace guide explains what each part shows.

Separate the answer, the citation and the search record

These are three different things. The answer is the assistant's interpretation. A citation identifies the material attached to a particular claim. A search record tells you what the assistant found or read while producing that interpretation.

You need all three when the question matters. An answer may cite two documents even though the search found six. One of the other four may contain a qualification the answer left out. Conversely, a long source list may look thorough while no source supports the sentence you intend to reuse.

Plexii's trace lists the sources returned by search, not only those cited in the answer. The numbered chips beneath an answer list the sources it actually cites. Inspecting the distinction is useful when the answer seems oddly confident or incomplete.

Ask a question with a boundary

“What did we agree?” is difficult to check because it leaves the assistant to choose the project, meeting and meaning of agreement.

A better question is: “In the supplier review on 12 November, what delivery date was approved, who approved it and what conditions remained? Separate confirmed decisions from proposals.” You have supplied a subject, a time boundary and the distinction that matters.

If you know the document, point to it directly. Plexii supports @ mentions so you can name a specific item rather than relying entirely on search. Its reading and search guide says mentioned items are read before the wider search.

That does not mean every question should be artificially narrow. Broad exploration has a place. But when you need a fact to act on, narrowing the question makes both the answer and the checking work more manageable.

A worked check: proposed date or approved date?

Consider an illustrative supplier file with three records. A proposal says delivery could move to 18 December. Meeting notes say the team favours that date, subject to the customer's agreement. A later approval email confirms 21 December instead.

If an assistant says, “Delivery was approved for 18 December,” opening the cited meeting notes exposes two problems. The notes describe a preference, not final approval, and the later email supersedes them.

Ask a follow-up that names the conflict: “The meeting note is conditional. Is there a later approval? Show the source and distinguish the proposed date from the confirmed date.” Then read the email yourself before updating a shared deadline.

The dates and records in this example are fictional. The checking pattern is practical: identify the exact claim, inspect the source's status and date, then look for a later controlling record.

Read the sentence around the citation

A citation can be attached to a sentence that bundles several claims. Suppose the answer says, “The supplier is approved, the insurance is current and ordering can begin.” A source that confirms approval may say nothing about insurance or the ordering system.

Break the sentence apart. What supports approval? What supports insurance validity? What says the order may be released? If the evidence differs, ask for separate statements with separate references.

Then inspect the source in context. Read the heading, date, nearby qualification and any defined terms. A number in a table might be a budget rather than an actual result. “Expected” is not the same as “received”. An answer that drops those words can change the practical meaning while retaining a real citation.

This is especially important when copying the answer into a report. Preserve the uncertainty and conditions, not only the attractive summary.

Use the trace to diagnose a weak answer

Plexii's trace documentation explains lines such as workspace search, items referenced and sources read. Only steps that happened are shown. A source in the trace can be relevant even if the answer did not cite it.

If the right document is absent, improve the retrieval rather than repeatedly asking for a more confident response. Use the file's own wording, mention it directly or check that you are in the correct organisation. Plexii searches the organisation you are currently working in, not another organisation's material.

If the trace says keyword match, exact wording matters. “Churn” may not find a note that says “attrition”. Plexii's help documents additional setups for matching by meaning, but you can often solve the immediate problem by using the terminology in the source.

If the right document is present but the answer ignores it, ask about that document explicitly. Retrieval and interpretation are different failure points; identifying which one occurred saves time.

To try grounded answers with citations on your own desk, download Plexii free.

Know which sources you can open

Not every source behaves identically. In Plexii's main assistant, a document opens in its editor, a desk opens on the canvas, and a web page opens in the browser panel. The help also notes that calendar entries and recorded decisions may appear in the trace without opening from there.

The lighter Ask your workspace panel inside spreadsheets, decks and designs has its own limits. Its help guide says only document-type sources open from its chips; other sources are shown by name. Those in-file questions are also cleared when the panel or file closes rather than saved as a lasting Plexii conversation.

If you need a conversation to return to, use the main assistant. If you need a durable business record, put the checked conclusion and its source into the appropriate project document. Do not treat an ephemeral panel as your only audit record.

Keep web evidence and internal evidence distinct

A supplier's public page can explain a product specification. It cannot establish what your team privately approved. Internal notes can establish your decision but may not be reliable evidence of a current external policy.

Plexii numbers web results after workspace sources when web search is used. Check the domain as well as the title, and look for the original source rather than a page repeating somebody else's summary.

Live web search is listed separately on the pricing page, while citations for workspace answers are always included. Do not confuse the availability of citations with unlimited external research or unlimited AI usage.

Decide what deserves a second check

For a low-stakes reminder, opening one source may be enough. For a contractual date, financial figure or public statement, follow your normal review process and inspect the controlling record yourself.

When evidence is incomplete, keep that visible. “I found the proposed date but not the final approval” is more useful than an invented certainty. The next action may be asking a colleague, obtaining the missing document or leaving the field blank until someone confirms it.

Our guide to checking AI answers takes this further. Approving AI changes covers the separate decision to apply a proposed edit, and the AI you can check collection brings the practices together.

Common questions

Does a citation mean the statement is true? No. It gives you something to inspect. The source can be outdated, mistaken or narrower than the answer. Check whether it supports the exact claim and is the right authority.

Why are there more sources in the trace than under the answer? The trace lists what search returned. The chips below the answer list only what the answer cited. An uncited result may still be worth reading when something seems missing.

Does Plexii always show citations? Yes. The source and trace guide says citations are always included. AI still requires available credits or a supported key, and live web search is listed separately on the pricing page.

What should I do when the answer cites the wrong document? Mention the intended document directly, name the relevant section or date and ask the question again. Then inspect the new source rather than assuming a more specific prompt guarantees correctness.

Why does a citation fail to open? Some source types do not open from the trace, and an item may have been deleted or not loaded. Check its type and location in the trace; do not treat a non-opening reference as verified evidence.

Can I paste the answer straight into a client report? Review it first, especially dates, amounts, approvals and qualifications. Keep the underlying source reference where appropriate and follow your organisation's normal sign-off process.