  The framework of standard model effective field theory (SMEFT) provides a
relatively model-agnostic tool with which to parameterize the off-shell effects
of potential heavy new physics. In the top quark sector, the ATLAS and CMS
experiments make use of data collected by the CERN LHC to search for these
off-shell effects by probing dimension-six SMEFT operators involving top
quarks. The analyses employ a variety of approaches, which range from
relatively indirect (e.g. reinterpretations of unfolded measurements) to
relatively direct (in which the SMEFT effects are propagated all the way to
detector-level predictions). These proceedings discuss the landscape of
detector-level SMEFT analyses in ATLAS and CMS, describe the methodology of the
direct detector-level approach, and summarize several recent experimental
results.
