> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.consensus.app/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Deep Search
> Deep is a longer, more robust version of a Consensus search. It runs up to 20 searches in parallel, uses multiple Research Agent tools like citation crawl, and reads 50 to 100 papers before answering.
Deep is an extended version of a Pro search. Where Pro analyzes up to 20 papers, Deep runs up to 20 searches in parallel, uses multiple [Research Agent](/core-features/research-agent) tools like citation crawl, includes multiple visualizations, and reads anywhere from 50 to 100 papers before it answers. Think of it as a longer, more robust version of a search, not a different product.
## How it works
Deep plans its own steps. A single run can involve 30 or more: parallel searches for the core question, follow-up searches on alternate terms, citation-graph traversal from the strongest results, filters such as minimum citations or study type, and full-text reading of the papers it includes.
Runs up to 20 searches on your question at once, including foundational work, alternate terminology, and counterpoints.
Follows citation connections from the initial results, applies academic filters, and runs more searches to fill gaps it finds along the way.
Narrows millions of retrieved papers to a few thousand eligible ones, then to the set it will read.
Reads 50 to 100 papers, full text where available, and writes a citation-backed answer.
## What you get
The answer looks like a Pro answer, only longer and backed by more papers. Its shape follows your prompt: a synthesis, a comparison, a critique, a reading list, an evidence map, or a custom report.
Answers include interactive visuals that:
* Show the consensus among the research
* Highlight key authors and top contributors
* Extract key claims and their supporting evidence
* Reveal potential research gaps
Every statement carries an in-line citation with [Citation Grounding](/core-features/citation-grounding). Export with **Copy text**, **Copy with citations** (APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, LaTeX, AMA/Numeric), or **Export as PDF**. Tables, charts, citations, and headings survive a paste into Word, Docs, Notion, or Obsidian.
Deep may read more papers than it directly cites in the final answer.
## How to run one
Click **Deep** in the search bar and the search runs in Deep mode. That's it. You can also click it on an existing Pro message to upgrade it.
Deep takes a few minutes. Consensus emails you when the answer is ready.
Deep also runs over your [Library](/core-features/library) and Collections. Attach papers and ask for a PICO or SPIDER review, a reading list, a scoping map, or a custom report.
## When to use it
| Mode | Papers analyzed | Best for |
| ------------ | --------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- |
| Paper search | — (list only) | Browsing sources without an AI summary |
| Pro | Up to 20 | A thoughtful summary and connections between findings |
| Deep | 50–100 | Complex or broad questions, validating ideas, finding gaps |
Any search can run in Deep mode, but it earns its keep on questions that need many searches and many papers to answer well. Two examples:
**A PICO question**, where each element deserves its own searches and the answer needs sample sizes and follow-up periods side by side:
```text theme={null}
In adults with type 2 diabetes, does a Mediterranean diet, compared with a
low-fat diet, improve HbA1c and cardiovascular risk markers? Focus on RCTs and
meta-analyses from the last 10 years. Report sample size and follow-up duration
for each trial, and flag where the evidence conflicts.
```
**Starting from a paper**, where Deep crawls the citation graph in both directions and organizes what it finds over time:
```text theme={null}
Start from Hanahan and Weinberg (2000), "The Hallmarks of Cancer." Trace the
papers it built on and the key papers that cite it, then break down how the
field has evolved over the past 20 years: the major breakthroughs by year,
which hallmarks were added or revised, and where the strongest current
evidence points.
```
## Availability
| Plan | Deep searches per month |
| ---------- | ----------------------- |
| Free | 3 |
| Pro | 15 |
| Deep | 200 |
| Teams | 50 per user |
| Enterprise | Custom |
On the Free plan, a Deep search also uses one of your 10 monthly Pro message credits, because Deep is an upgraded Pro message. Check your usage under **Settings › Subscription**.
Deep is a web-app feature. It isn't exposed through the MCP server or API. ChatGPT's "Deep Research" is a ChatGPT feature that can call Consensus search; it is not the same as Deep in Consensus.
## Related
The engine behind Pro and Deep.
Run Deep Search over your own papers.