A snippet is one passage of the page that matches your query. Highlights returns a ranked list of snippets, under highlights.snippets, instead of the whole document. A snippet can come from the Main Markdown, State JSON, or Appendix.
A snippet is one passage that matched your query, with its source, its score, and a link back to where it sits on the page. Here, a query for plan limit matches a row in the Main Markdown and the value behind it in the State JSON:
{
"highlights": {
"query": "plan limit",
"snippets": [
| Field | Definition |
|---|---|
text | The passage itself, readable. |
source | Where it came from: markdown, statejson, or appendix. |
score | How well it matches the query, from 0 to 1. Snippets are ranked by it. |
minScore, and ranking can change as the capture, the layers, and the ranker improve.Every snippet's location.evidenceId becomes a link that opens the exact spot on the page:
https://expand.land/s/<snapshotId>?id=<evidenceId>With the API, build the link from location.evidenceId. The CLI and MCP add it for you, as citationUrl.
How to inspect a citation is on Playground & replay: Citation links.
When a snippet does not provide enough context, you can read the snippet's surrounding content or read the entire Main Markdown. Neither creates a new Fetch nor costs any credits. No API key is needed.
# Read around one snippet, using its evidence ID.
curl -H "Accept: text/markdown" "https://expand.land/s/<snapshotId>/content?id=<evidenceId>"
# Read the full Main Markdown.
curl -H "Accept: text/markdown" "https://expand.land/s/<snapshotId>/content"To see everything inside a Snapshot, such as the original HTML and the network requests, see Progressive disclosure.
json |
| For a State JSON snippet, the structured value behind the match, when it fits inline. |
location.evidenceId | The exact spot on the page it came from, when available. It turns into a citation link. |
location.jsonPath | For a State JSON snippet, where the value sits in the State JSON, when available. |