Local Descriptions (Search API)

Requires API Key: Get one at https://api.search.brave.com

Plan: Included in the Search plan. See https://api-dashboard.search.brave.com/app/subscriptions/subscribe

Two-step flow: This endpoint requires POI IDs from a prior web search.

Call web-search with result_filter=locations to get POI IDs from locations.results[].id

Pass those IDs to this endpoint to get AI-generated descriptions

Quick Start (cURL)

Get POI Description

curl -s "https://api.search.brave.com/res/v1/local/descriptions?ids=loc4CQWMJWLD4VBEBZ62XQLJTGK6YCJEEJDNAAAAAAA%3D" \
  -H "Accept: application/json" \
  -H "Accept-Encoding: gzip" \
  -H "X-Subscription-Token: ${BRAVE_SEARCH_API_KEY}"

Multiple POIs

curl -s "https://api.search.brave.com/res/v1/local/descriptions" \
  -H "Accept: application/json" \
  -H "Accept-Encoding: gzip" \
  -H "X-Subscription-Token: ${BRAVE_SEARCH_API_KEY}" \
  -G \
  --data-urlencode "ids=loc4CQWMJWLD4VBEBZ62XQLJTGK6YCJEEJDNAAAAAAA=" \
  --data-urlencode "ids=loc4HTAVTJKP4RBEBZCEMBI3NG26YD4II4PATIHPDYI="

Note: POI IDs are opaque strings returned in web search locations.results[].id. They are valid for approximately 8 hours. The example IDs above are for illustration — fetch fresh IDs via web-search with result_filter=locations.

Endpoint

GET https://api.search.brave.com/res/v1/local/descriptions

Authentication: X-Subscription-Token: <API_KEY> header

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
`ids`	string[]	Yes	—	POI IDs from web search `locations.results[].id` (1-20, repeated: `?ids=a&ids=b`)

Response Format

Response Fields

Field	Type	Description
`type`	string	Always `"local_descriptions"`
`results`	array	List of description objects (entries may be `null`)
`results[].type`	string	Always `"local_description"`
`results[].id`	string	POI identifier matching the request
`results[].description`	string?	AI-generated markdown description, or `null` if unavailable

Example Response

{
  "type": "local_descriptions",
  "results": [
    {
      "type": "local_description",
      "id": "loc4CQWMJWLD4VBEBZ62XQLJTGK6YCJEEJDNAAAAAAA=",
      "description": "### Overview\nA cozy neighborhood cafe known for its **artisanal coffee**..."
    }
  ]
}

Getting POI IDs

POI IDs come from the Web Search API (web-search) with result_filter=locations:

# 1. Search for local businesses
curl -s "https://api.search.brave.com/res/v1/web/search?q=restaurants+san+francisco&result_filter=locations" \
  -H "Accept: application/json" \
  -H "X-Subscription-Token: ${BRAVE_SEARCH_API_KEY}"

# 2. Extract POI IDs from locations.results[].id
# 3. Use those IDs with local/pois and local/descriptions

Use Cases

Local business overview: Pair with local-pois to get both structured data (hours, ratings) and narrative descriptions
Travel/tourism enrichment: Add descriptive context to POIs for travel planning or destination guides
Search results augmentation: Supplement web search results with AI-generated summaries of local businesses

Notes

Always markdown: Descriptions use ### headings, bullet lists, bold/italics — always formatted as markdown
Travel-guide tone: Typically 200-400 words covering what makes the POI notable
AI-generated: Descriptions are AI-generated based on web search context, not sourced from business profiles
Availability: Not all POIs have descriptions — description may be null
Max IDs: Up to 20 IDs per request

local-descriptions