TL;DR Summary:
Sources Hidden: OpenAI is testing a change that moves the ChatGPT Sources button from the response footer into a submenu, making citations less visible at first glance.More Clicks Needed: Users now have to open the three-dot More actions menu and then select View sources, which adds friction and may reduce source clicks.Traffic Concerns: The change could lower referral traffic for publishers and may signal a shift toward keeping users inside ChatGPT rather than sending them to outside sites.Where did the ChatGPT Sources button go? OpenAI is testing a change that buries source links inside a submenu instead of showing them right on the response, and this matters because fewer people will click through to the sites ChatGPT pulls information from. The change was spotted in mid August 2026 and could affect how much traffic websites get from ChatGPT answers.
What Changed With The ChatGPT Sources Button
Glenn Gabe spotted the change and posted about it on X. He noted that ChatGPT no longer always shows a visible link to view sources. Instead, you have to click the three-dot “More actions” menu first, then select “View sources” to open a side panel with citations. Before this test, the ChatGPT Sources button sat directly in the footer of a response, one click away from the source list.
Why The Extra Click Matters
Gabe pointed out that this setup can lower visibility and clicks for citations that appear in the right-side panel. Adding one extra step reduces the number of people who bother to find sources at all. In practice, if you ask ChatGPT a question and want to check where the answer came from, you now may need to hunt for the ChatGPT Sources button inside a menu instead of seeing it plainly on the screen.
Is This A Test Or A Full Rollout
As of this report, it remains unclear whether OpenAI is testing this with a small group of users or rolling it out more broadly. OpenAI has not given a public explanation for the change. This is worth watching, since a limited test could get reversed, while a full rollout would permanently change how the ChatGPT Sources button appears for everyone.
Does This Point To Ads In ChatGPT
Gabe raised a theory that OpenAI wants users to focus more on ads rather than clicking outbound links to sources. This is speculation and not confirmed by OpenAI. Still, the timing raises questions, since a harder to find ChatGPT Sources button means fewer users leaving the ChatGPT interface, which lines up with what you’d expect if OpenAI wanted more attention to stay inside its own app.
What This Means For Publishers And Users
If you run a website that ChatGPT cites as a source, this change could mean fewer visitors coming from those citations. If you use ChatGPT and want to verify facts or read the original source, you now need an extra click through the “More actions” menu to find the ChatGPT Sources button. Neither group has an official statement from OpenAI to rely on yet. As in-app citation links become harder to find, publishers are increasingly turning to outside tracking to understand their real exposure — a tool like AI Mentions can show which sources ChatGPT and other AI models are actually citing, giving publishers a clearer picture even when OpenAI’s own interface obscures it.
Watch for whether OpenAI confirms this as a permanent change or reverts back to a visible Sources button in the footer. If you rely on ChatGPT citations for traffic or research, check your own account now to see which version you have. Keep an eye on Glenn Gabe’s posts on X and other reports, since OpenAI has not addressed the change directly. If citation visibility inside ChatGPT keeps shrinking, publishers may need to lean more heavily on outside tracking to see where they still get cited at all — AI Mentions helps fill that gap by showing exactly which sources ChatGPT and other AI models reference, so you can gauge your exposure even as in-app citation links become harder to find.
