Admin: Verified Search

Administration reference for the Verified Search feature — monitoring, shared content management, subscription gating, and technical architecture.

Admin Overview#

The Verified Search feature operates autonomously with no dedicated admin management UI. User data is stored in the SearchConversation, SearchMessage, and SearchSpace tables. Sharing creates public URLs accessible without authentication. Subscription tier gating is enforced at the API level via getUserTier() and hasFeatureAccess().

No Dedicated Admin Page

There is no admin dashboard page for search management. Administration is handled through database queries and the existing user management admin panel.

Database Impact#

The Perplexity Search Parity update added one new table and modified two existing tables:

Table	Change	Growth Estimate
SearchSpace (NEW)	User-private workspaces with custom instructions	~3 rows per active user
SearchConversation	Added shareToken (unique), isPublic (boolean), spaceId (FK)	~10% of rows will have shareToken
SearchMessage	Added attachments (JSON, nullable)	~8% of rows will have attachments

Monitoring Search Usage#

Use these database queries to monitor adoption of search parity features:

Space Adoption

Count SearchSpace records to measure how many users are creating Spaces. Group by userId for per-user adoption.

Sharing Adoption

Count SearchConversation records where shareToken IS NOT NULL to measure sharing usage.

File Upload Usage

Count SearchMessage records where attachments IS NOT NULL to measure file upload adoption.

Space Assignment Rate

Count SearchConversation records where spaceId IS NOT NULL to measure how many threads are organized into Spaces.

Managing Shared Content#

If reported content is shared publicly via a share link, you can revoke access by updating the database directly:

Identify the conversation

Find the SearchConversation record by its shareToken or id.

Revoke the share link

Set isPublic = false and shareToken = NULL on the record. This immediately makes the public URL return a 404.

Important

Revoking a share link is immediate and irreversible. The owner would need to create a new share link to re-share the conversation.

Subscription Gating#

All tier gating uses getUserTier() from lib/subscriptions/plan-gate.tsand hasFeatureAccess() from lib/subscriptions/feature-flags.ts. Limits are hardcoded in API route handlers (not configurable via admin UI).

Limit	Explorer	Professional	Business	Enterprise
File Upload	1 file / 5 MB	5 files / 20 MB	10 files / 40 MB	10 files / 40 MB
Spaces	3	25	Unlimited	Unlimited
DOCX Export	Blocked	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed
PDF Branding	Always on	Optional	Optional	Optional
Image Generation	Blocked	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed
Personalization	Blocked	Allowed	Allowed	Allowed

Data Models#

Model	Key Fields	Purpose	Created By
SearchConversation	shareToken, isPublic, spaceId	Conversation with sharing and Space support	User starting a search
SearchMessage	attachments (JSON)	Message with optional file attachments	Each search query/response
SearchSpace	name, customInstructions, isDefault, userId	User-private workspace	User creating a Space

API Endpoints#

Method	Route	Auth	Purpose
POST/GET/DELETE	/api/search/conversations/[id]/share	Auth (owner)	Create/get/revoke share link
GET	/api/search/conversations/shared/[token]	Public	Fetch shared thread for public view
POST	/api/search/export	Auth	Generate PDF/DOCX export
POST	/api/search/upload	Auth	Upload files with text extraction
GET/POST	/api/search/spaces	Auth	List/create Spaces
GET/PATCH/DELETE	/api/search/spaces/[id]	Auth	Space detail/update/delete
POST	/api/search/generate-image	Auth (Professional+)	Generate image from prompt
GET/POST	/api/search/conversations	Auth	List (with spaceId filter) / create conversations
PATCH	/api/search/conversations/[id]	Auth	Update conversation (incl. spaceId move)

Key Components#

Component	File	Purpose
ShareThreadDialog	components/search/ShareThreadDialog.tsx	Share link creation/revocation modal
SharedThreadView	components/search/SharedThreadView.tsx	Read-only shared conversation renderer
ExportMenu	components/search/ExportMenu.tsx	PDF/DOCX/Markdown export dropdown
FileUploadZone	components/search/FileUploadZone.tsx	Drag-and-drop file upload
MediaResults	components/search/MediaResults.tsx	Image/video result cards
VoiceInputButton	components/search/VoiceInputButton.tsx	Web Speech API microphone
SpacesManager	components/search/SpacesManager.tsx	Space list with CRUD operations
SpaceInstructionsEditor	components/search/SpaceInstructionsEditor.tsx	Custom instructions editor
HomeFeed	components/search/HomeFeed.tsx	Starter suggestions + recent threads
ImageGenerationButton	components/search/ImageGenerationButton.tsx	Inline image generation
FocusModeSelector	components/search/FocusModeSelector.tsx	10 focus mode chips

Feature Gating Configuration#

Eight new feature keys were added to lib/subscriptions/feature-flags.ts:

Feature Key	Explorer	Professional	Business	Enterprise
search:share	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
search:export-pdf	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
search:export-docx	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
search:file-upload	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
search:spaces	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
search:personalization	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
search:pages	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
search:generation	No	Yes	Yes	Yes

Troubleshooting#

Search page returns 500 error

Symptoms: The search page fails to load, console shows 500 errors on/api/search/spaces or /api/search/conversations.
Cause: Database schema is out of sync — Prisma client expects columns that don't exist in the database.
Fix: Run npx prisma db push to sync the schema, then restart.

Share link returns 404

Symptoms: User reports their share link shows "not found."
Cause: The share link was revoked, or the token is invalid.
Fix: Check if shareToken exists on the SearchConversation record. If cleared, the owner must create a new share link.

Export fails with 403

Symptoms: User sees "DOCX export requires Professional plan or higher."
Cause: User is on Explorer tier attempting a gated feature.
Fix: User needs to upgrade. Verify tier via getUserTier(userId).

Space creation fails

Symptoms: User sees "Space limit reached (X). Upgrade for more."
Cause: User has reached their plan's Space limit.
Fix: Delete unused Spaces or upgrade plan. Check limits: Explorer=3, Professional=25, Business/Enterprise=unlimited.

File upload returns size error

Symptoms: User sees "File too large" or "Maximum N files allowed."
Cause: File exceeds plan limits.
Fix: Check tier limits in app/api/search/upload/route.ts. Explorer: 1 file/5MB, Professional: 5 files/20MB, Business+: 10 files/40MB.

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