canonical: https://jentic.com/apis/locu.app/locu

# Locu App Locu Public API

Jentic publishes the only available OpenAPI specification for Locu Public API, keeping it validated and agent-ready. Locu provides programmatic access to a curated database of local business and location records, covering names, addresses, categories, and venue metadata. The API exposes list, retrieve, and search operations for location entities, allowing developers to look up venues by id or filter by attributes such as city or category. Typical uses include populating store finders, enriching CRM records, and powering local-discovery features.

## For AI agents

Look up local businesses and venue records by id, list locations, or search by attributes such as name, city, or category.

## Scope

Does not handle reviews, ratings, photos, or geocoding - use for venue lookup and basic location metadata only.

## Capabilities

- List location records with pagination across the Locu venue database
- Retrieve a single location by its id with full metadata
- Create a new location entity through POST /locations
- Search the venue database by attributes via GET /search
- Filter results by city, category, or other supported query parameters

## Use cases

### Local Business Search Feature

Power a search bar that returns nearby restaurants, bars, or shops by querying GET /search with attribute filters. Locu returns ranked venue records with addresses and categories so the front-end can render results without additional lookups.

Example prompt: Call GET /search with q='coffee' and city='Seattle' and return the top 10 venue ids and names.

### CRM Location Enrichment

Append canonical address and category metadata to CRM contact records by looking up each contact's listed business through GET `/locations/{id}` or /search. This standardises field-rep data and prevents duplicate entries caused by spelling variations.

Example prompt: For each CRM contact's company name, call GET /search with the name and persist the matched location id and address.

### Store Finder Backend

Drive a store-finder page by listing locations with GET /locations and filtering by city. Pagination is supported so large catalogues stream cleanly to the client. Each record includes the metadata needed for a map pin without joining external data.

Example prompt: Call GET /locations with city='Austin' and limit=50, then map each result onto the store-finder map.

### AI Agent Venue Lookup via Jentic

Agents that answer 'where can I get X near here' can call Locu through Jentic without managing the API key. Jentic exposes the search and retrieve operations as MCP tools so the agent picks the right one by intent.

Example prompt: Through Jentic, search 'find local businesses', load the Locu /search schema, and execute it with the user's query and city.

## Key endpoints

| Method | Path | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| GET | `/locations` | List location records |
| POST | `/locations` | Create a new location |
| GET | `/locations/{id}` | Retrieve a single location by id |
| GET | `/search` | Search the venue database |

## Key resources

- **Locations** — List, create, and retrieve venue records
- **Search** — Query the venue database by attributes such as name, city, or category

## Why Jentic

- **Setup:** Wiring the Locu Public API by hand means setting up its API key, attaching it to each request against api.locu.app, and shaping venue lookup and search parameters yourself. Through Jentic you install once, import Locu from the API Directory, store the key once, and your agent calls it.
- **Permission scoping:** Locu venue lookup runs against a shared location directory rather than resources your account owns, so scoping is by operation: limit the agent to the operations it needs, such as searching locations or fetching a single location, and leave out location creation if the agent only reads data.
- **Credential handling:** Your Locu API key is stored once, encrypted, by your own Jentic One instance and injected at execution time. It never enters the agent's prompt, logs, or context.
- **Discovery method:** Agents search Jentic by intent such as 'find a local business' or 'look up venue metadata', and Jentic returns the matching Locu operation with its input schema so the agent calls the right endpoint without browsing the reference docs.

## Related APIs

- **Yelp Fusion API** — Larger global directory of business listings with reviews and photos
- **Clearbit Enrichment API** — Enrich a company record with firmographic and technographic data
- **OpenCage Geocoding API** — Convert a Locu venue address into precise coordinates for mapping

## FAQ

### Why is there no official OpenAPI spec for Locu Public API?

Locu does not publish an OpenAPI specification. Jentic generates and maintains this spec so that AI agents and developers can call Locu Public API via structured tooling. It is validated against the live API and kept up to date. Get started with Jentic One, the self-hosted execution layer.

### What authentication does the Locu Public API use?

The API uses an API key sent in the request header (ApiKeyAuth scheme). Through Jentic the key is stored in the encrypted vault and injected at execution, never exposed to the agent's prompt or logs.

### Can I search for venues by city with the Locu Public API?

Yes. Use GET /search with a query string and supported filter parameters. The response returns a list of matching venue records with id, name, and address fields you can use directly.

### What are the rate limits for the Locu Public API?

The spec does not declare numeric rate limits. Treat the API as throttled and back off on HTTP 429 responses. Jentic's executor surfaces 429s to the agent so it can retry with delay.

### How do I look up a venue by id through Jentic?

Run `pip install jentic`, search for 'look up a local business', load the Locu GET `/locations/{id}` operation, and execute it with the venue id. Jentic handles auth and returns the parsed JSON record.

### Is the Locu Public API free?

Locu's public API access tiers are not declared in the spec. Check locu.app for current pricing and quota allocations before high-volume use.

### Can I limit what my agent is allowed to do with the Locu Public API?

Yes. Because you run Jentic One yourself, your own rules decide which Locu operations and credentials the agent may use. Since Locu runs against a shared location directory rather than resources your account owns, you scope by operation: grant only the calls the agent needs, such as searching locations with GET /search or fetching a single record with GET `/locations/{id}.` If the agent only reads data, leave out location creation via POST /locations so it can never write to the directory.