web.run syntax (pipe format) web-run/syntax

What it is

ChatGPT calls its search tool with a code message addressed to web.run. The content is not JSON but one or more lines of the form operation|parameter|…. Observed 20–22 Aug 2026:

• fast|query|30 — search, 30-day window
• slow|query|1|tagesschau.de — search, 1 day, this domain only
• business|Munich, Bavaria, Germany|query1;query2 — location search, two queries
• product|Nike Pegasus 41 Herren;Nike Pegasus 41 Damen — product search
• image|Allianz Arena Munich at night — image search
• search — search without parameters (meaning open)
• open|turn0search23 — open a hit
• length|medium — parameter, not a query

According to Mohanadasan the format was introduced between 16 and 20 Aug 2026, replacing JSON objects in use since GPT-5.3 (March 2026); before that a text form already existed. Our introspection prompts (K14) describe the same format from the model's side.

External evidence

• Suganthan Mohanadasan, 21 Aug 2026: format, call types, dating.
• Olivier de Segonzac, SEL, 14 May 2026: the interim JSON format with twelve operations.

For visibility

None directly. The syntax is the instrument through which the other objects in this knowledge base become visible. For tool builders it is where parsers break: three times since June 2026.

External sources

mohanadasan-2026-08-21 · segonzac-2026-05-14

Change history

No event has touched this object yet.

Open

• How do fast and slow differ? Observation: slow almost always carries a short window (1, 7 days) and shows up for news and prices — perhaps the Google scrape path, with fast being the in-house index.
• search without parameters appears next to fast/slow in almost every standard run. What triggers it?
• The operations named via introspection — click, find, screen, availability, genui_search, genui_run — were never triggered by our prompts.

Related

Query fan-out Freshness window Domain restriction open (opened results) business (location search) fast (standard web search) slow (freshness-driven search) product (product search) image (image search)