Free tool · no sign-up
Find the AI traffic GA4 is hiding.
Short answer
Tick the AI assistants you care about and the tool writes a regex for a custom GA4 channel that catches visits from ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Gemini, Copilot and more, wherever GA4 filed them. Paste it into Admin > Data display > Channel groups and place the channel above Referral. Then drop in a GA4 export to see how many AI visits you already have and where they were hiding.
A free alternative to paid AI visibility trackers for the first number most teams need: how many visits AI assistants send you.
theepa.studio/tools/ai-traffic-finder/AI traffic finder for GA4 report
Generated · Theepa Studio · Brand identity and web design studio, Dubai
Runs in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.
Runs in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.
Your regex
.*(^|[/.:@?&=])(chatgpt\.com|openai\.com|perplexity\.ai|claude\.ai|gemini\.google\.com|bard\.google\.com|copilot\.microsoft\.com|copilot\.cloud\.microsoft|edgeservices\.bing\.com|deepseek\.com|grok\.com|meta\.ai)([/:?&#=]|$).*|^(chatgpt|perplexity|claude|copilot|deepseek|grok)$Settings in this report
Assistants matched: ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, DeepSeek, Grok, Meta AI
Tagged names matched: Yes
Set it up in GA4
- In GA4, open Admin, then Data display, then Channel groups.
- Choose Create new channel group and give it a name, such as "Channels with AI".
- Add a new channel called "AI assistants". Set the condition to Source, matches regex, and paste the regex.
- Reorder the channels so AI assistants sits above Referral, then save. GA4 puts each session in the first channel it matches.
- In Reports > Acquisition > Traffic acquisition, switch the table to your new channel group. Custom groups apply to past data too.
Mark 8 to 16 October 2026 in your reports
After GPT-6 launched, many ChatGPT links arrived with no tag and no referrer, so GA4 filed those visits as Direct. A fix began rolling out on 15 October. Add an annotation for those dates and avoid comparing that week with the weeks around it.
Check your own data
Export a GA4 report as a CSV file and drop it here. It is read in your browser and never uploaded.
- Quick check: Reports > Acquisition > Traffic acquisition, set the table to Session source / medium, pick a date range, then Share this report > Download file > CSV.
- October check: Explore > Free form, with Date and Session source / medium as rows and Sessions as the value, then export it as CSV.
Opens your print window. Choose “Save as PDF” as the destination.
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This report was made with AI traffic finder for GA4, a free tool by Theepa Studio. Results come from the inputs on the page when it was saved.
How it works.
The method behind the numbers, so you can judge the result.
- The regex matches the session source on whole domain parts, so chatgpt.com and its subdomains match but lookalikes such as notchatgpt.com don’t. It starts and ends with .* because GA4 regex must match the whole value.
- It ignores medium on purpose. The same source, such as chatgpt.com, can arrive as ai-assistant, referral or (not set), and GA4 files each one in a different channel.
- GA4’s own AI Assistant channel, added in May 2026, only counts sessions it recognises, from a list that changes. By June 2026 it listed ChatGPT, Gemini, DeepSeek, Copilot and Grok, with Claude removed and Perplexity never included.
- Custom channel groups apply to past data. Standard GA4 properties can have two custom groups.
- Limits: visits with no referrer stay in Direct, and clicks from Google AI Overviews and AI Mode count as Organic Search. GA4 is case-sensitive, so "ChatGPT" and "chatgpt" are different sources.
- The October check compares daily ChatGPT and Direct sessions from 8 to 16 October with the 7 days before. A fall in one with a matching rise in the other suggests relabelled visits. It’s an estimate, not a measurement.
- Your file is read in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored. The domain list was checked in November 2026; review your regex every quarter.
Sources
AI traffic finder for GA4: questions
Why does ChatGPT traffic show as Direct in GA4?
When a visit arrives with no referrer and no utm tag, GA4 can’t tell where it came from and files it as Direct. Some AI apps open links without passing a referrer, and from 8 to 16 October 2026 many ChatGPT links also lost their utm_source tag.
Doesn’t GA4 already have an AI channel?
Yes, the AI Assistant channel, added in May 2026. It only counts sessions GA4 recognises and tags, from its own list of assistants, and only from the date it reached your property. A custom channel group catches the rest and applies to past data.
Does this catch Google AI Overviews and AI Mode?
No. Clicks from AI Overviews and AI Mode arrive as google / organic, so GA4 can’t separate them from normal search results.
Is my GA4 data uploaded?
No. The file is read in your browser and nothing is sent or stored. We only receive the results on screen if you ask for the written fix list.
How often should I update the regex?
Every quarter, or when a new assistant starts sending you visits. Come back here and copy the latest version.
Want it done for you?
SEO, AEO and GEO: Get found by Google and cited by ChatGPT, Claude and Perplexity.
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