diff --git a/core/src/main/java/io/substrait/extension/SimpleExtension.java b/core/src/main/java/io/substrait/extension/SimpleExtension.java
index 1b3f05820..90892c3a6 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/io/substrait/extension/SimpleExtension.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/io/substrait/extension/SimpleExtension.java
@@ -274,6 +274,18 @@ public String description() {
       return "";
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Resolves the effective description for this implementation. An implementation-level
+     * description (parsed into {@link #description()}) documents overload-specific behavior and
+     * takes precedence over the parent function's description when present.
+     */
+    String resolveDescription(String functionDescription) {
+      String implDescription = description();
+      return implDescription == null || implDescription.isEmpty()
+          ? functionDescription
+          : implDescription;
+    }
+
     public abstract List<Argument> args();
 
     public abstract Map<String, Option> options();
@@ -403,7 +415,7 @@ public ScalarFunctionVariant resolve(
       return ImmutableSimpleExtension.ScalarFunctionVariant.builder()
           .urn(urn)
           .name(name)
-          .description(description)
+          .description(resolveDescription(description))
           .nullability(nullability())
           .args(args())
           .options(options())
@@ -480,7 +492,7 @@ AggregateFunctionVariant resolve(
       return ImmutableSimpleExtension.AggregateFunctionVariant.builder()
           .urn(urn)
           .name(name)
-          .description(description)
+          .description(resolveDescription(description))
           .nullability(nullability())
           .args(args())
           .options(options())
@@ -524,7 +536,7 @@ WindowFunctionVariant resolve(
       return ImmutableSimpleExtension.WindowFunctionVariant.builder()
           .urn(urn)
           .name(name)
-          .description(description)
+          .description(resolveDescription(description))
           .nullability(nullability())
           .args(args())
           .options(options())
diff --git a/core/src/test/java/io/substrait/extension/DescriptionExtensionTest.java b/core/src/test/java/io/substrait/extension/DescriptionExtensionTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..03573a1ba
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/src/test/java/io/substrait/extension/DescriptionExtensionTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,91 @@
+package io.substrait.extension;
+
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals;
+
+import io.substrait.TestBase;
+import java.io.IOException;
+import java.io.UncheckedIOException;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+
+/**
+ * Verifies that descriptions can be read from extension YAML files at both the function level and
+ * the function-implementation level. An implementation-level description documents
+ * overload-specific behavior and takes precedence over the parent function's description when both
+ * are present.
+ */
+class DescriptionExtensionTest extends TestBase {
+
+  static final String URN = "extension:test:description_extensions";
+  static final SimpleExtension.ExtensionCollection DESCRIPTION_EXTENSION;
+
+  static {
+    try {
+      String extensionStr = asString("extensions/description_extensions.yaml");
+      DESCRIPTION_EXTENSION = SimpleExtension.load(extensionStr);
+    } catch (IOException e) {
+      throw new UncheckedIOException(e);
+    }
+  }
+
+  DescriptionExtensionTest() {
+    super(DESCRIPTION_EXTENSION);
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  void testFunctionLevelDescriptionInherited() {
+    // The single impl has no description of its own, so it inherits the function-level description.
+    SimpleExtension.FunctionAnchor anchor =
+        SimpleExtension.FunctionAnchor.of(URN, "documentedScalar:i64");
+    assertEquals(
+        "Function-level scalar description", extensions.getScalarFunction(anchor).description());
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  void testImplLevelDescriptionTakesPrecedence() {
+    // The i64 overload defines its own description; it must win over the function-level one.
+    SimpleExtension.FunctionAnchor anchor =
+        SimpleExtension.FunctionAnchor.of(URN, "overloadDocumented:i64");
+    assertEquals(
+        "Overload-specific description for i64",
+        extensions.getScalarFunction(anchor).description());
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  void testOverloadWithoutDescriptionInheritsFunctionLevel() {
+    // The fp32 overload has no description of its own, so it inherits the function-level one.
+    SimpleExtension.FunctionAnchor anchor =
+        SimpleExtension.FunctionAnchor.of(URN, "overloadDocumented:fp32");
+    assertEquals(
+        "Shared function-level description", extensions.getScalarFunction(anchor).description());
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  void testImplLevelDescriptionWithoutFunctionLevel() {
+    SimpleExtension.FunctionAnchor anchor =
+        SimpleExtension.FunctionAnchor.of(URN, "implOnlyScalar:i64");
+    assertEquals("Only the impl is documented", extensions.getScalarFunction(anchor).description());
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  void testAggregateImplLevelDescription() {
+    SimpleExtension.FunctionAnchor anchor =
+        SimpleExtension.FunctionAnchor.of(URN, "documentedAggregate:i64");
+    assertEquals(
+        "Aggregate impl description", extensions.getAggregateFunction(anchor).description());
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  void testAggregateImplDescriptionCarriesOverToWindowFunction() {
+    // Aggregate functions are also registered as window functions; the description must carry over.
+    SimpleExtension.FunctionAnchor anchor =
+        SimpleExtension.FunctionAnchor.of(URN, "documentedAggregate:i64");
+    assertEquals("Aggregate impl description", extensions.getWindowFunction(anchor).description());
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  void testWindowImplLevelDescriptionTakesPrecedence() {
+    SimpleExtension.FunctionAnchor anchor =
+        SimpleExtension.FunctionAnchor.of(URN, "documentedWindow:i64");
+    assertEquals("Window impl description", extensions.getWindowFunction(anchor).description());
+  }
+}
diff --git a/core/src/test/resources/extensions/description_extensions.yaml b/core/src/test/resources/extensions/description_extensions.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..164fb7180
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/src/test/resources/extensions/description_extensions.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+%YAML 1.2
+---
+urn: extension:test:description_extensions
+scalar_functions:
+  # Function-level description only; the single impl inherits it.
+  - name: "documentedScalar"
+    description: "Function-level scalar description"
+    impls:
+      - args:
+          - value: i64
+        return: i64
+  # The i64 overload documents itself and overrides the function-level
+  # description; the fp32 overload inherits the function-level description.
+  - name: "overloadDocumented"
+    description: "Shared function-level description"
+    impls:
+      - args:
+          - value: i64
+        description: "Overload-specific description for i64"
+        return: i64
+      - args:
+          - value: fp32
+        return: fp32
+  # Impl-level description with no function-level description.
+  - name: "implOnlyScalar"
+    impls:
+      - args:
+          - value: i64
+        description: "Only the impl is documented"
+        return: i64
+aggregate_functions:
+  - name: "documentedAggregate"
+    impls:
+      - args:
+          - value: i64
+        description: "Aggregate impl description"
+        return: i64
+window_functions:
+  - name: "documentedWindow"
+    description: "Window function-level description"
+    impls:
+      - args:
+          - value: i64
+        description: "Window impl description"
+        return: i64