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Some questions have more than one angle. Comparisons, research tasks, and surveys require sources spread across many different subtopics, and a single query only reaches a few of them. Broad Search closes that gap. It expands the query into several relevant sub-queries from different angles and searches them at the same time, instead of running them one by one. For the full list of parameters, see the Broad Search API reference.
  • Wider coverage. Several sub-queries from one query, each covering a different part of the topic.
  • No query rewriting. Pass the original query as is, and Octen generates the sub-queries from it.
  • Still fast. Sub-queries run concurrently, so broader coverage does not mean a longer wait.
  • Made for LLMs and agents. Results arrive grouped by sub-query, ready for a model to ground a complete answer.

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Scenarios

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Compare options

Comparisons across many sources, such as pricing, products, or vendors. 
curl -X POST https://api.octen.ai/broad-search \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -d '{
    "query": "compare cloud GPU pricing across major providers",
    "max_queries": 5
  }'
  • The response includes the generated queries and the ranked search_results for each one.

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Research a topic

For surveys and deeper research, raise max_queries so more angles are covered. 
{
  "query": "state of solid-state battery technology in 2026",
  "max_queries": 12
}
  • max_queries: 12 widens coverage; lower it for a tighter search.

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Full page content

When you need the original text of each result, turn on full content through search_options. 
{
  "query": "compare cloud GPU pricing across major providers",
  "max_queries": 8,
  "search_options": {
    "full_content": { "enable": true, "max_tokens": 2048 }
  }
}

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Filter every sub-query

Apply topic, domain, or time filters to all sub-queries at once through search_options. 
{
  "query": "latest central bank interest rate decisions globally",
  "max_queries": 8,
  "search_options": {
    "topic": "news",
    "include_domains": ["reuters.com", "bloomberg.com"],
    "time_range": "week"
  }
}

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Parameter cheatsheet

ParameterDefaultChange it when
max_queries5Raise (up to 30) for broader coverage; lower for a tighter search.
search_optionsWeb Search defaultsPass Web Search option to control every sub-query.
search_options takes the same parameters as Web Search. For per-scenario examples, see Tailor Your Search.