| Description | Use AI to find sources for unsourced statements (experimental - see limitations) |
|---|---|
| Author | Alaexis |
| Updated | May 18, 2026 (28 days ago) |
| Source | User:Alaexis/CNfirmed.js |
 | This is an experimental tool. It's likely impacted by models' biases and has other limitations. |
CNfirmed finds sources for unsourced statements on Wikipedia and judges whether each candidate source actually substantiates the specific claim. Click any tag and the script will search the web, read the most promising candidates, and return a ranked list of sources with a verdict, reliability judgment and a ready-to-paste <ref></ref> snippet.
Before using the tool, please learn about its limitations. You are still responsible for the edits you make with CNfirmed.
The goal is not just to reduce the 600k+ Citation-Needed backlog but also to expose problems with automated source search and figure out which models and search tools are fit for the job.
Installation
editFirst install User:Enterprisey/script-installer, then return to this page and click the "Install" button in the infobox. Alternatively, add this line to your Special:MyPage/common.js:
importScript('User:Alaexis/CNfirmed.js');
The script is bring-your-own-key. The first time you run it, you will be prompted for an API key for the provider you select; the key is stored in your browser's localStorage on the Wikipedia origin and is only sent to the provider you chose.
Usage
edit- Open any article that contains {{citation needed}} or a similar tag.
- A 🔍 badge appears next to every citation and a CNfirmed section appears in the sidebar with a provider dropdown, an API-key control, and one row per CN tag.
- Pick a provider, paste a key (once) and either:
- click a 🔍 badge (or sidebar row) to verify a single claim, or
- click Verify all to run every unverified claim on the page
- For each claim a popover opens with the verdict, the relevant quote from the source, the reliability judgment and a Copy button.
Supported AI providers: Anthropic Claude (default model claude-sonnet-4-6), Gemini (default gemini-2.5-flash), OpenAI GPT-4o. Unfortunately I'm not aware of open-source models with web search capabilities.
Feature requests
editFeel free to drop a note at the talk page.
Performance and limitations
editThe tool usually manages to find sources. Their quality and suitability for our purposes vary.
Limitations!!!
edit- Online sources only: The script can only find sources reachable on the open web.
- Source selection bias: Each AI provider uses their own search provider, usually in a non-transparent way. The tool only gets the output.
- Source evaluation bias: Evaluating source reliability is not easy and experienced editors of good faith often disagree (see WP:RSN). The model is instructed to assess sources according to our reliability criteria but it's likely that the model's biases affect the results.
- Cost: A single check can cost 10-20 cents.
- Non-English sources: The script searches for English-language sources. For some topics such sources may not be available.
Credits
editThe sidebar reuses User:Polygnotus/Helpers/Sidebar.js (thanks!).