Platforms expose different evidence. A cross-platform dashboard must normalize states, not pretend the interfaces are identical.
| Surface | Useful observable evidence |
|---|---|
| ChatGPT | answer, visible links, mode when displayed |
| Perplexity | answer and prominent source URLs |
| Google Search AI | supporting links plus Search Console aggregate Web data |
| Gemini | answer and interface-visible sources |
| Claude | answer, sources, displayed search context |
| Microsoft | answer citations plus Bing Webmaster AI Performance aggregates |
Common record
{
"provider": "name",
"query_id": "fixed-id",
"state": "success",
"mentions": [],
"sources": [],
"timestamp": "ISO-8601",
"locale": "en-CA"
}
Provider-specific fields remain in an extension object. Missing source visibility is unknown, not zero citations.
Comparison rule
Compare mention and official-domain citation rates only among completed runs from the same prompt portfolio and window. Show provider completion separately.
The same product conflict can propagate differently: The Woobles availability may be read from visible text, structured offers, cache, or third-party source. Preserve the source rather than assigning causation.