# Signs of generated text (`mttr_tells`)

Updated October 24, 2026.

## What does mttr_tells do?

Signs of generated text on a site’s pages: hidden characters that can carry a watermark or hidden instructions, chat and markdown left in, placeholders never filled in, stock phrasing, and heavy use of dashes. Any key may make this call, on any public site.

Who may call it: Any key.

## When to use it

- Pages were drafted with an assistant and you want them checked.
- You want hidden characters out before publishing.

## What you ask

You might say: “Check example.com for signs of generated text.”

```
mttr_tells({ site: "example.com" })
```

| Argument | Type | Needed | What it is |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `site` | Text | Yes | The site, as a domain such as example.com. |
| `show` | One of these: strong, all | No | strong (the default): pages with hidden or left-in text; all: any sign. |
| `limit` | Number | No | How many to return. |
| `offset` | Number | No | How many to skip, for the next part of a long list. |

## What comes back

- Each sign with its pages, strong signs first.
- Any message hidden in tag characters, spelled out.
- A sign is not proof.

A sample, with made-up sites and figures:

| Sign | Pages | Strength |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Hidden characters | 3 | Strong |
| Placeholder left in | 1 | Strong |
| Stock phrasing | 7 | Weak |

## Over HTTP

```
curl "https://mttr.si/api/v1/sites/example.com/tells" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $MTTR_KEY"
```

## When it fails

| When | Status | What to do |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Your assistant has no key yet | 401 over MCP | Sign up with `mttr_signup`, then connect again with the key it gives. |
| mttr has no public report of the site yet | 404 | Ask for a read with `mttr_rescan`, then watch it with `mttr_job`. |

## Sources

- [Model Context Protocol: tools](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/specification/2025-06-18/server/tools), Model Context Protocol: How an assistant calls a tool.

The call in full: [mttr_tells in the API reference](https://mttr.si/docs/reference#mttr_tells).

## Goes with

- [Pages](https://mttr.si/docs/tools/pages.md)
- [One page](https://mttr.si/docs/tools/page.md)