---
title: "Get Kol Background"
method: GET
path: "/api/kols/{username}/background"
tags: ["KOL Database"]
---

# Get Kol Background

`GET /api/kols/{username}/background`

## Request

- Base URL: `https://api.kolens.ai` (the document declares no server; this is the origin it was published from)
- URL: `https://api.kolens.ai/api/kols/{username}/background`
- Auth: HTTP bearer

Web-grounded background report on the creator.

One of only two AI features that charge (founder-confirmed 2026-05
"cheap free, expensive charged" policy; the other is deep-overview).
The search-tool LLM call is the genuinely expensive bit, so a fresh
generation costs 1 credit (``settings.kol_background_research_cost_credits``).
Cache-first with a 30-day TTL: a cache hit (same locale, within TTL)
is served free and never debits. ``refresh=true`` forces a fresh
search-LLM call and always charges.

Charge-then-generate semantics, mirroring deep-overview / activity-
summary:
  - 402 if the combined workspace + personal balance can't cover it.
  - On AI-gateway failure after the debit we refund the workspace
    half (the only side with a write path); the cache row is never
    written, so a retry against a fixed gateway works normally.

## Path parameters

- `username` string, required

## Query parameters

- `locale` string: Output locale — en / zh-CN / ja
- `refresh` boolean: Force fresh search + cache replace

## Headers

- `x-kolens-user-id` string, nullable
- `x-kolens-workspace-id` string, nullable

## Response `200`

Successful Response

- BackgroundResearchResponse
  - `summary_markdown` string, required
  - `sources` BackgroundSourceOut[], required
    - `url` string, required
    - `title` string
    - `snippet` string
  - `generated_at` string, required
  - `cost_credits` integer, required
  - `locale` string, required
  - `model_used` string, nullable
  - `cached` boolean, required

## Other responses

- `422`: Validation Error

---

[API](https://skmtc.dev/kolens/apis/kolens-api.md) · [All operations](https://skmtc.dev/kolens/apis/kolens-api/llms.txt) · [OpenAPI document](https://skmtc.dev/kolens/apis/kolens-api/revisions/5d6865ab0a24?raw)