Mirago services queries from many other sites. These associates allow people to enter searches which are then fulfilled by Mirago. Usually the data is sent from Mirago to these sites in the form of an XML document. Upon receipt the information is integrated with pages generated by the site.

Some web sites such as Ask Jeeves, for example, encourage people to ask questions using natural language. This metaphor, in Ask Jeeves' case via their mythical butler, is intended to simplify the user interface and avoid the necessity for technological awareness.

Mirago developed a system, known as Mentor, which deals which the natural language elements of a query. Unfortunately Ask Jeeves and others do not indicate in any way whether a query is natural language or just a collection of terms. Mentor, therefore, has to inspect the search string and determine how it should be handled.

In addition to handling natural language, Mentor has to deal with queries that utilise certain grammatical notations. The '+' (plus) sign can be used to force inclusion of a particular term or phrase, the '-' (minus) sign to force exclusion and "quotes" to force the contents to be treated as a phrase.

Mentor determines the key elements of a natural language query and in conjunction with technology in Q3, The Mirago Query System, determines which terms should be used to evaluate the query. Mentor does its job well having only once been notably confused by a particular search. A very polite individual searched for something like 'where can I find cheap loans please?' The inclusion of the word 'please' confused things. Mentor was modified to deal with the word correctly and Mirago would like to commend those who are polite to search engines.