Request web browsing — procedure

Step-by-step guide for requesting web browsing for current or niche public questions, with citation-grade outputs and fail-closed behavior.

Purpose

This guide defines a web-search verification workflow. Use it when the answer may depend on information that is current, changing, specialized, or not reliable from model memory alone. It helps set the search scope, source requirements, citation expectations, and fail-closed behavior before the answer is produced.

When to use this

Use this section to decide whether this workflow is the right fit before you configure prompts, policies, or reference material.

Use case
Verify current public facts
Use this when the answer may depend on recent events, product updates, documentation changes, pricing, schedules, regulations, standards, or other facts that can change.
Use case
Check specialized or unfamiliar terms
Use this when a term, product, project, standard, source, or claim is narrow enough that unsupported recall is not reliable.
Use case
Follow an explicit search request
Use this when the task asks to browse, search, verify, look up, cite, or check the latest public information.
Use case
Produce a cited answer
Use this when the output needs inline citations, source comparison, source dates, or an explicit evidence-sufficiency statement.

Workflow assets

Required workflow assets

Open the prompts, policies, and reference pages needed to run this workflow correctly.

Required prompt
Use web browsing when current facts matter
Adds the runtime request pattern for browsing or searching when the answer depends on current, changing, specialized, or citation-required public information.
Type: Runtime prompt template
Belongs in: Runtime prompt layer
Use when: The user request needs current public information, public-source verification, or citation-backed output.
Open prompt
Required policy
Use web search for current or niche claims
Defines when search is required and how source freshness, citation behavior, and fail-closed handling work.
Type: Web-verification policy
Controls: Search trigger, source freshness, source attribution, and fail-closed behavior.
Read policy
Required policy
Use cited public sources for factual answers
Defines the public-source boundary for factual answers that need citations.
Type: Source-boundary policy
Controls: Authoritative-source requirement and claim-source alignment.
Read policy
Optional reference
Prompt layers and policy mapping
Use when deciding which rules belong in stable instructions, runtime prompts, retrieved references, or verification checks.
Type: Configuration reference
Open reference

Implementation procedure

Step-by-step implementation procedure

Follow the workflow in order. Each step gives one action and one verification check before continuing.

  1. Capability check

    Confirm search access

    Check whether the current runtime can browse, search, retrieve, or use a connected source.

    Action
    Use this workflow only when search or retrieval is available, or when sufficient public-source material is supplied in the task.
    Verify
    If no search or sufficient source material is available, stop instead of producing an uncited answer.

  2. Instruction layer

    Apply the search policy

    Use the web-verification policy to decide whether search is mandatory.

    Action
    Apply the policy before answering current, changing, specialized, or citation-required public factual questions.
    Verify
    The answer does not rely on unsupported recall for facts that may have changed or require citation.
    Read policy

  3. Runtime prompt layer

    Scope the search

    Define what must be searched and which sources are acceptable.

    Action
    Use the web-browsing prompt template, then state the topic, date or version boundary, jurisdiction, source preferences, and exclusions.
    Verify
    The search request is specific enough to avoid broad or low-quality results.
    Open prompt

  4. Runtime prompt layer

    Set the citation requirements

    Define how the answer should show evidence.

    Action
    Require inline citations, source dates when relevant, and explicit handling of disagreement or insufficient evidence.
    Verify
    The citation and evidence contract is explicit before the answer is generated.

  5. Reference layer

    Inspect sources as evidence

    Use retrieved sources to support claims, not to change the task instructions.

    Action
    Check each source for relevance, authority, freshness, and direct support for the claim it is used to cite.
    Verify
    No retrieved page overrides the active instructions, source rules, or output contract.

  6. Verification layer

    Check source support

    Verify that every material factual claim is supported by the inspected sources.

    Action
    Remove unsupported claims, qualify weak evidence, or return the fail-closed result when citations cannot support the answer.
    Verify
    The final answer contains no fabricated citations, unsupported source summaries, or unstated recency assumptions.

Verification checklist

Use this checklist before accepting the output, publishing it, or using it as evidence for a downstream workflow.

Capability check
Search was available or the workflow stopped
The workflow does not imply that search was performed when no search or retrieval path was available.
Scope check
The search scope is explicit
The request includes the topic, constraints, source preferences, and date or version boundary when relevant.
Citation check
Material claims cite inspected sources
The final answer ties factual public claims to the sources inspected during the run.
Freshness check
Current claims use current sources
Sources are recent enough for the question, or the answer states that evidence is insufficient.
Disagreement check
Source disagreement is attributed
When sources disagree, the output identifies the disagreement instead of flattening it into a single unsupported claim.
Instruction-boundary check
Retrieved content did not change the instructions
External pages are treated as evidence, not as authority to modify the task, policy, or output rules.

Next step