We Built a Free Tool to See Exactly What ChatGPT Searches — Here's How You Can Too

Written By Zack Notes

Screenshot from the Sandbox AI SEO Extension

When someone asks ChatGPT a question, it doesn't just search the web using their exact words. Behind the scenes, it rewrites the query into optimized search terms — sometimes splitting one question into multiple searches to get comprehensive results.

If you're obsessed with AI SEO (like we are at Sandbox Web), this is huge. These hidden queries reveal exactly how AI interprets search intent. And if you know what ChatGPT is actually searching for, you can optimize your content to match.

The problem? OpenAI doesn't expose this data publicly. It's buried in the network response, invisible to normal users.

So, we built a private Chrome extension to surface it, and you can get it up and running in about 2 minutes with no coding required.

Credit Where It's Due

Before we dive in, we need to acknowledge the person who discovered this data source: David Konitzny. We never saw the original post, but Linkedin folklore has it that David was the clever SEO who first identified the metadata.search_model_queries field in the JSON response. Shad Jafari (along with hundreds of others) wrote up the method on his blog, walking through how to find this data manually using Chrome DevTools.

But DevTools are a little tricky to use, the process is very manual, and from what we’ve seen, nobody has built a good tool around this yet

Cue Sandbox Web…

We took that discovery and turned it into a private plugin that captures these queries automatically — no DevTools required 😉 😉 😉

What This Tool Does

When you use ChatGPT and it searches the web, our Chrome extension intercepts the response and displays the exact queries in a floating panel. You'll see things like:

  • Your prompt: "What's the best project management software for agencies?"

  • What ChatGPT actually searched: "best project management software agencies 2025" and "project management tools for marketing agencies comparison"

Notice how ChatGPT strips filler words, adds context, and sometimes fans out into multiple queries. This is the AI's interpretation of intent — and it's gold for SEO.

Why SEOs Should Care

Traditional keyword research tells you what humans type into Google. This tool shows you what AI searches for when humans ask questions conversationally.

As more search traffic flows through ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google's AI Overviews, understanding AI query reformulation becomes essential. You can use these insights to:

  • Match your headings and content to AI-style query phrasing

  • Identify query variations you hadn't considered

  • See how ChatGPT interprets different types of prompts in your niche

  • Understand the "fan-out" pattern — how one question becomes multiple searches

How We Built It

ChatGPT's frontend uses the Fetch API to communicate with OpenAI's backend. Responses stream in, and the search queries are buried deep in these responses. Our extension needed to:

  1. Intercept fetch responses on chatgpt.com

  2. Parse both streaming (Server-Sent Events) and standard JSON responses

  3. Recursively search the nested structure for search_model_queries

  4. Display results in a non-intrusive UI

  5. Deduplicate queries across multiple response chunks

The main hurdle was Chrome's Content Security Policy. ChatGPT blocks inline script injection, so we couldn't just inject JavaScript directly into the page context. We solved this by loading our interceptor as an external script file declared in web_accessible_resources, which bypasses CSP restrictions while still running in the page context where we can override window.fetch.

The extension is lightweight — about 200 lines of JavaScript total — and runs entirely locally. No data is sent anywhere; everything stays in your browser.

The Sandbox AI SEO Chrome Extension - Get the Code:

We've open-sourced the extension on GitHub:

https://github.com/sandboxweb/chatgpt_seo_private_plugin

This is meant to be a private tool for your own research. Due to the nature of how it works (intercepting undocumented API responses), we're not publishing it to the Chrome Web Store. But you can install it yourself in about 2 minutes.

Step-by-Step Installation Guide

No coding experience required. If you can download files and click buttons, you can do this.

Step 1: Download the Extension

Go to our GitHub repository: https://github.com/sandboxweb/chatgpt_seo_private_plugin

Click the green "Code" button, then click "Download ZIP".

Once downloaded, unzip the file. You'll have a folder containing these files:

  • manifest.json

  • content.js

  • inject.js

  • popup.html

  • popup.js

  • icon16.png, icon48.png, icon128.png

Step 2: Open Chrome's Extension Manager

Open Chrome (in the same browser where you use ChatGPT) and type this in your address bar:

chrome://extensions

Press Enter. This opens Chrome's extension management page.

Step 3: Enable Developer Mode

In the top-right corner of the extensions page, you'll see a toggle labeled "Developer mode". Turn it on.

New buttons will appear: "Load unpacked," "Pack extension," and "Update."

Step 4: Load the Extension

Click "Load unpacked".

A file browser will open. Navigate to the folder you unzipped in Step 1 and select it.

The extension should now appear in your list with a green magnifying glass icon and the name "ChatGPT Search Query Revealer."

Step 5: Test It Out

  1. Go to ChatGPT (same browser, new tab)

  2. Log in

  3. Enable “web search” mode, or just ask a question that would trigger a web search, like: "What are the best CRM tools for small businesses in 2025?"

  4. Wait for ChatGPT to finish responding

  5. Refresh the page

  6. Look in the bottom-right corner — you should see a dark panel showing the exact queries ChatGPT used

Ready for the features, that let you blast through bigger keyword sets?

⚡ Click any query to copy it to your clipboard.

⚡ Click the extension icon in your toolbar to see your query history and export to CSV.

Troubleshooting

Panel shows "Waiting for ChatGPT to search..." but nothing appears:

  • Make sure your question triggers a web search (ask about current events or recent information)

  • Try refreshing ChatGPT (Ctrl+Shift+R or Cmd+Shift+R)

  • Check that the extension is enabled in chrome://extensions

Extension won't load:

  • Make sure all files are in the same folder

  • Check that file extensions are correct (.js not .js.txt)

  • On Windows, enable "Show file extensions" in File Explorer to verify

What's Next

This is version 1.0 — a focused tool that does one thing well. But the response data contains much more that could be valuable for AI SEOs.

We will add new features and data very soon. Keep an eye on the Sandbox blog, and follow me, Zack Notes on Linkedin for more updates

Final Thoughts

AI is changing how people find information online. The SEOs who understand how these systems work (query fan-out, etc..) will have a significant advantage.

This tool is a small window into that world. Use it to understand how ChatGPT thinks about search, and optimize your content accordingly.

Questions? Reach out on Linkedin or contact us here

Want to know more about us? Sandbox Web is a web dev agency building Gen-AI powered websites. Reach out for custom software, app MVPs, and AI automations. Our creations are loved by both humans and search engines.

Zack Notes
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