Web search and tools

The assistant can use tools when they give a better answer. Each tool use appears as a small card you can open to see exactly what it did.

Tool	What it does
Web search	Searches the web for current information and cites the pages it used.
Read web page	Opens a page you mention, or one it found.
Run code	Runs Python in a sealed-off sandbox for calculations, data and charts. It can’t reach the internet or your files.
Search files	Finds passages in files you attached or in a project’s files.
Memory	Saves and recalls facts you asked it to remember.
Search past chats	Finds something from an earlier conversation.
Create video	See Videos and mini apps.

Sources appear as small numbers in the answer; click one to see the page.

Approvals

Some tools ask before they run, with Allow and Deny buttons (video creation does, because it takes a minute or more). Choose which tools run automatically, ask first, or are turned off in Settings → Tools & MCP.

Web search and privacy

Web search is the one feature that sends something off your Mac: your search words go to public search engines, just like typing them into a search site. Nothing else is sent. To keep everything on your Mac, turn off the Web access switch on the home screen. It turns off web search and reading web pages together, so nothing goes online. Turn it back on any time; you can also switch each tool separately in Settings → Tools & MCP.