What are server-sent events (SSE)?
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Server-sent events (SSE): A web standard that lets a server push a stream of updates to a page over one open connection, sent with the text/event-stream type.
MDN describes the connection as one-way, from server to page, and the browser reads it through the EventSource interface. A chat app that streams its answer as it is written can use it, which is why the text appears a few words at a time.
The searches an assistant runs can travel in that same stream, which is how a browser tool can see them as the answer is written. Finding ChatGPT's queries in DevTools shows where to look.
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See the fan-out for your own prompts
Only Fan Out is a free Chrome side panel that lists the queries, fetched pages and cited pages behind each ChatGPT, Claude or Grok answer. Nothing leaves your browser.
Add to Chrome, it's free