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Search Google Maps

maps_search_places
Read-onlyIdempotent

The places Google Maps shows for a search in an area, in Maps' order.

Use when: "who shows up on Maps for plumber in Austin", "where does our clinic rank on Maps for dentist near me", local competitors for a service in a town, a spot check of local rankings at one point. Not for: a filtered list of every business of a type in an area (unclaimed, few reviews, low rating), use maps_search_businesses. One business's hours, primary category and review topics, use maps_get_place. The organic results and local pack on Google search, use seo_get_serp. Companies by industry or headcount, use leads_search_companies. Returns: List. rows[]: rank, place_id, cid, name, category, address, phone, website, domain, rating (stars out of 5), reviews, is_claimed, status (open, closed, temporarily_closed, closed_forever), maps_url and the other Maps profile fields. website null = the profile lists none. Give latitude and longitude together to search around a point instead of location. Rankings differ by point: for a rank grid, call once per point. Cost: 1 credit. Cached 24 hours. Example: {"keyword": "emergency plumber", "location": "Austin,Texas,United States"}

Input Schema

TableJSON Schema
NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
zoomNoMap zoom at the point: 14 is a neighbourhood, 11 a city.
depthNoHow many places to fetch. Default 20, max 100.
dry_runNoReturn only meta with the estimate. Costs nothing.
keywordYes
languageNoISO 639-1 language code. Default en.en
latitudeNoSearch around this point instead of location.
locationNoWhere to search, as a provider location name such as "Austin,Texas,United States". Ignored when latitude and longitude are set.United States
longitudeNoGive it with latitude.
max_creditsNoRefuse with BudgetExceeded if the estimate is higher.

Output Schema

TableJSON Schema
NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
metaYes
rowsNo
errorNo
hintsYes

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

  1. Changed1 schema field changed
    • addedInput schema / properties / longitude / description
      Added value: +"Give it with latitude."
  2. Changed17 schema fields changed
    • removedInput schema / $schema
      Removed value: -"https://json-schema.org/draft/2020-12/schema"
    • removedInput schema / properties / max_credits / maximum
      Removed value: -9007199254740991
    • removedInput schema / properties / provider
      Removed value: -{
      -  "description": "Provider id. Defaults to the server default for the tool.",
      -  "type": "string"
      -}
    • removedOutput schema / $schema
      Removed value: -"https://json-schema.org/draft/2020-12/schema"
    • addedOutput schema / properties / error / additionalProperties
      Added value: +{}
    • removedOutput schema / properties / error / oneOf
      Removed value: -[
      -  {
      -    "additionalProperties": false,
      -    "properties": {
      -      "error": {
      -        "const": "BudgetExceeded",
      -        "type": "string"
      -      },
      -      "est_credits": {
      -        "type": "number"
      -      },
      -      "max_credits": {
      -        "type": "number"
      -      },
      -      "message": {
      -        "type": "string"
      -      }
      -    },
      -    "required": [
      -      "error",
      -      "est_credits",
      -      "max_credits",
      -      "message"
      -    ],
      -    "type": "object"
      -  },
      -  {
      -    "additionalProperties": false,
      -    "properties": {
      -      "billing_url": {
      -        "type": "string"
      -      },
      -      "error": {
      -        "const": "InsufficientCredits",
      -        "type": "string"
      -      },
      -      "est_credits": {
      -        "type": "number"
      -      },
      -      "message": {
      -        "type": "string"
      -      },
      -      "upgrade_url": {
      -        "type": "string"
      -      }
      -    },
      -    "required": [
      -      "error",
      -      "est_credits",
      -      "message"
      -    ],
      -    "type": "object"
      -  },
      -  {
      -    "additionalProperties": false,
      -    "properties": {
      -      "error": {
      -        "const": "NoData",
      -        "type": "string"
      -      },
      -      "message": {
      -        "type": "string"
      -      }
      -    },
      -    "required": [
      -      "error",
      -      "message"
      -    ],
      -    "type": "object"
      -  },
      -  {
      -    "additionalProperties": false,
      -    "properties": {
      -      "error": {
      -        "const": "InvalidTarget",
      -        "type": "string"
      -      },
      -      "message": {
      -        "type": "string"
      -      },
      -      "target": {
      -        "type": "string"
      -      }
      -    },
      -    "required": [
      -      "error",
      -      "target",
      -      "message"
      -    ],
      -    "type": "object"
      -  },
      -  {
      -    "additionalProperties": false,
      -    "properties": {
      -      "error": {
      -        "const": "InvalidProvider",
      -        "type": "string"
      -      },
      -      "message": {
      -        "type": "string"
      -      },
      -      "provider": {
      -        "type": "string"
      -      },
      -      "valid_providers": {
      -        "items": {
      -          "type": "string"
      -        },
      -        "type": "array"
      -      }
      -    },
      -    "required": [
      -      "error",
      -      "provider",
      -      "valid_providers",
      -      "message"
      -    ],
      -    "type": "object"
      -  },
      -  {
      -    "additionalProperties": false,
      -    "properties": {
      -      "error": {
      -        "const": "ProviderUnavailable",
      -        "type": "string"
      -      },
      -      "message": {
      -        "type": "string"
      -      },
      -      "provider": {
      -        "type": "string"
      -      },
      -      "retry_after_s": {
      -        "type": "number"
      -      }
      -    },
      -    "required": [
      -      "error",
      -      "provider",
      -      "retry_after_s",
      -      "message"
      -    ],
      -    "type": "object"
      -  },
      -  {
      -    "additionalProperties": false,
      -    "properties": {
      -      "error": {
      -        "const": "ConcurrencyLimit",
      -        "type": "string"
      -      },
      -      "limit": {
      -        "type": "number"
      -      },
      -      "message": {
      -        "type": "string"
      -      },
      -      "retry_after_s": {
      -        "type": "number"
      -      }
      -    },
      -    "required": [
      -      "error",
      -      "limit",
      -      "retry_after_s",
      -      "message"
      -    ],
      -    "type": "object"
      -  },
      -  {
      -    "additionalProperties": false,
      -    "properties": {
      -      "cap": {
      -        "type": "number"
      -      },
      -      "error": {
      -        "const": "SpendCapReached",
      -        "type": "string"
      -      },
      -      "est_credits": {
      -        "type": "number"
      -      },
      -      "message": {
      -        "type": "string"
      -      },
      -      "period": {
      -        "enum": [
      -          "day",
      -          "month"
      -        ],
      -        "type": "string"
      -      },
      -      "resets_at": {
      -        "type": "string"
      -      },
      -      "spent": {
      -        "type": "number"
      -      }
      -    },
      -    "required": [
      -      "error",
      -      "period",
      -      "cap",
      -      "spent",
      -      "est_credits",
      -      "resets_at",
      -      "message"
      -    ],
      -    "type": "object"
      -  },
      -  {
      -    "additionalProperties": false,
      -    "properties": {
      -      "error": {
      -        "const": "TaskFailed",
      -        "type": "string"
      -      },
      -      "message": {
      -        "type": "string"
      -      },
      -      "task_id": {
      -        "type": "string"
      -      }
      -    },
      -    "required": [
      -      "error",
      -      "task_id",
      -      "message"
      -    ],
      -    "type": "object"
      -  },
      -  {
      -    "additionalProperties": false,
      -    "properties": {
      -      "error": {
      -        "const": "TaskPending",
      -        "type": "string"
      -      },
      -      "message": {
      -        "type": "string"
      -      },
      -      "poll_after_s": {
      -        "type": "number"
      -      },
      -      "task_id": {
      -        "type": "string"
      -      }
      -    },
      -    "required": [
      -      "error",
      -      "task_id",
      -      "poll_after_s",
      -      "message"
      -    ],
      -    "type": "object"
      -  },
      -  {
      -    "additionalProperties": false,
      -    "properties": {
      -      "connect_url": {
      -        "type": "string"
      -      },
      -      "engine": {
      -        "type": "string"
      -      },
      -      "error": {
      -        "const": "NotConnected",
      -        "type": "string"
      -      },
      -      "message": {
      -        "type": "string"
      -      }
      -    },
      -    "required": [
      -      "error",
      -      "engine",
      -      "connect_url",
      -      "message"
      -    ],
      -    "type": "object"
      -  },
      -  {
      -    "additionalProperties": false,
      -    "properties": {
      -      "engine": {
      -        "type": "string"
      -      },
      -      "error": {
      -        "const": "EngineMisconfigured",
      -        "type": "string"
      -      },
      -      "message": {
      -        "type": "string"
      -      }
      -    },
      -    "required": [
      -      "error",
      -      "engine",
      -      "message"
      -    ],
      -    "type": "object"
      -  }
      -]
    • addedOutput schema / properties / error / properties
      Added value: +{
      +  "error": {
      +    "enum": [
      +      "BudgetExceeded",
      +      "InsufficientCredits",
      +      "NoData",
      +      "InvalidTarget",
      +      "InvalidProvider",
      +      "ProviderUnavailable",
      +      "ConcurrencyLimit",
      +      "SpendCapReached",
      +      "TaskFailed",
      +      "TaskPending",
      +      "NotConnected",
      +      "EngineMisconfigured"
      +    ],
      +    "type": "string"
      +  },
      +  "message": {
      +    "type": "string"
      +  }
      +}
    • addedOutput schema / properties / error / required
      Added value: +[
      +  "error",
      +  "message"
      +]
    • addedOutput schema / properties / error / type
      Added value: +"object"
    • removedOutput schema / properties / errors
      Removed value: -{
      -  "description": "Per-input failures of a batch call.",
      -  "items": {
      -    "additionalProperties": false,
      -    "properties": {
      -      "error": {
      -        "oneOf": [
      -          {
      -            "additionalProperties": false,
      -            "properties": {
      -              "error": {
      -                "const": "BudgetExceeded",
      -                "type": "string"
      -              },
      -              "est_credits": {
      -                "type": "number"
      -              },
      -              "max_credits": {
      -                "type": "number"
      -              },
      -              "message": {
      -                "type": "string"
      -              }
      -            },
      -            "required": [
      -              "error",
      -              "est_credits",
      -              "max_credits",
      -              "message"
      -            ],
      -            "type": "object"
      -          },
      -          {
      -            "additionalProperties": false,
      -            "properties": {
      -              "billing_url": {
      -                "type": "string"
      -              },
      -              "error": {
      -                "const": "InsufficientCredits",
      -                "type": "string"
      -              },
      -              "est_credits": {
      -                "type": "number"
      -              },
      -              "message": {
      -                "type": "string"
      -              },
      -              "upgrade_url": {
      -                "type": "string"
      -              }
      -            },
      -            "required": [
      -              "error",
      -              "est_credits",
      -              "message"
      -            ],
      -            "type": "object"
      -          },
      -          {
      -            "additionalProperties": false,
      -            "properties": {
      -              "error": {
      -                "const": "NoData",
      -                "type": "string"
      -              },
      -              "message": {
      -                "type": "string"
      -              }
      -            },
      -            "required": [
      -              "error",
      -              "message"
      -            ],
      -            "type": "object"
      -          },
      -          {
      -            "additionalProperties": false,
      -            "properties": {
      -              "error": {
      -                "const": "InvalidTarget",
      -                "type": "string"
      -              },
      -              "message": {
      -                "type": "string"
      -              },
      -              "target": {
      -                "type": "string"
      -              }
      -            },
      -            "required": [
      -              "error",
      -              "target",
      -              "message"
      -            ],
      -            "type": "object"
      -          },
      -          {
      -            "additionalProperties": false,
      -            "properties": {
      -              "error": {
      -                "const": "InvalidProvider",
      -                "type": "string"
      -              },
      -              "message": {
      -                "type": "string"
      -              },
      -              "provider": {
      -                "type": "string"
      -              },
      -              "valid_providers": {
      -                "items": {
      -                  "type": "string"
      -                },
      -                "type": "array"
      -              }
      -            },
      -            "required": [
      -              "error",
      -              "provider",
      -              "valid_providers",
      -              "message"
      -            ],
      -            "type": "object"
      -          },
      -          {
      -            "additionalProperties": false,
      -            "properties": {
      -              "error": {
      -                "const": "ProviderUnavailable",
      -                "type": "string"
      -              },
      -              "message": {
      -                "type": "string"
      -              },
      -              "provider": {
      -                "type": "string"
      -              },
      -              "retry_after_s": {
      -                "type": "number"
      -              }
      -            },
      -            "required": [
      -              "error",
      -              "provider",
      -              "retry_after_s",
      -              "message"
      -            ],
      -            "type": "object"
      -          },
      -          {
      -            "additionalProperties": false,
      -            "properties": {
      -              "error": {
      -                "const": "ConcurrencyLimit",
      -                "type": "string"
      -              },
      -              "limit": {
      -                "type": "number"
      -              },
      -              "message": {
      -                "type": "string"
      -              },
      -              "retry_after_s": {
      -                "type": "number"
      -              }
      -            },
      -            "required": [
      -              "error",
      -              "limit",
      -              "retry_after_s",
      -              "message"
      -            ],
      -            "type": "object"
      -          },
      -          {
      -            "additionalProperties": false,
      -            "properties": {
      -              "cap": {
      -                "type": "number"
      -              },
      -              "error": {
      -                "const": "SpendCapReached",
      -                "type": "string"
      -              },
      -              "est_credits": {
      -                "type": "number"
      -              },
      -              "message": {
      -                "type": "string"
      -              },
      -              "period": {
      -                "enum": [
      -                  "day",
      -                  "month"
      -                ],
      -                "type": "string"
      -              },
      -              "resets_at": {
      -                "type": "string"
      -              },
      -              "spent": {
      -                "type": "number"
      -              }
      -            },
      -            "required": [
      -              "error",
      -              "period",
      -              "cap",
      -              "spent",
      -              "est_credits",
      -              "resets_at",
      -              "message"
      -            ],
      -            "type": "object"
      -          },
      -          {
      -            "additionalProperties": false,
      -            "properties": {
      -              "error": {
      -                "const": "TaskFailed",
      -                "type": "string"
      -              },
      -              "message": {
      -                "type": "string"
      -              },
      -              "task_id": {
      -                "type": "string"
      -              }
      -            },
      -            "required": [
      -              "error",
      -              "task_id",
      -              "message"
      -            ],
      -            "type": "object"
      -          },
      -          {
      -            "additionalProperties": false,
      -            "properties": {
      -              "error": {
      -                "const": "TaskPending",
      -                "type": "string"
      -              },
      -              "message": {
      -                "type": "string"
      -              },
      -              "poll_after_s": {
      -                "type": "number"
      -              },
      -              "task_id": {
      -                "type": "string"
      -              }
      -            },
      -            "required": [
      -              "error",
      -              "task_id",
      -              "poll_after_s",
      -              "message"
      -            ],
      -            "type": "object"
      -          },
      -          {
      -            "additionalProperties": false,
      -            "properties": {
      -              "connect_url": {
      -                "type": "string"
      -              },
      -              "engine": {
      -                "type": "string"
      -              },
      -              "error": {
      -                "const": "NotConnected",
      -                "type": "string"
      -              },
      -              "message": {
      -                "type": "string"
      -              }
      -            },
      -            "required": [
      -              "error",
      -              "engine",
      -              "connect_url",
      -              "message"
      -            ],
      -            "type": "object"
      -          },
      -          {
      -            "additionalProperties": false,
      -            "properties": {
      -              "engine": {
      -                "type": "string"
      -              },
      -              "error": {
      -                "const": "EngineMisconfigured",
      -                "type": "string"
      -              },
      -              "message": {
      -                "type": "string"
      -              }
      -            },
      -            "required": [
      -              "error",
      -              "engine",
      -              "message"
      -            ],
      -            "type": "object"
      -          }
      -        ]
      -      },
      -      "input": {
      -        "type": "string"
      -      }
      -    },
      -    "required": [
      -      "input",
      -      "error"
      -    ],
      -    "type": "object"
      -  },
      -  "type": "array"
      -}
    • changedOutput schema / properties / meta / properties / rows_available / anyOf
      Previous value: -[
      -  {
      -    "maximum": 9007199254740991,
      -    "minimum": -9007199254740991,
      -    "type": "integer"
      -  },
      -  {
      -    "type": "null"
      -  }
      -]New value: +[
      +  {
      +    "type": "integer"
      +  },
      +  {
      +    "type": "null"
      +  }
      +]
    • removedOutput schema / properties / meta / properties / rows_returned / maximum
      Removed value: -9007199254740991
    • removedOutput schema / properties / meta / properties / rows_returned / minimum
      Removed value: --9007199254740991
    • removedOutput schema / properties / rows / items / properties / rank / maximum
      Removed value: -9007199254740991
    • removedOutput schema / properties / rows / items / properties / rank / minimum
      Removed value: --9007199254740991
    • changedOutput schema / properties / rows / items / properties / reviews / anyOf
      Previous value: -[
      -  {
      -    "maximum": 9007199254740991,
      -    "minimum": -9007199254740991,
      -    "type": "integer"
      -  },
      -  {
      -    "type": "null"
      -  }
      -]New value: +[
      +  {
      +    "type": "integer"
      +  },
      +  {
      +    "type": "null"
      +  }
      +]
    • changedOutput schema / properties / rows / items / properties / total_photos / anyOf
      Previous value: -[
      -  {
      -    "maximum": 9007199254740991,
      -    "minimum": -9007199254740991,
      -    "type": "integer"
      -  },
      -  {
      -    "type": "null"
      -  }
      -]New value: +[
      +  {
      +    "type": "integer"
      +  },
      +  {
      +    "type": "null"
      +  }
      +]
  3. Changed3 schema fields changed
    • addedOutput schema / properties / meta / properties / credits_notice
      Added value: +{
      +  "additionalProperties": false,
      +  "description": "A free workspace is low on credits, at most once a day. Tell the user once.",
      +  "properties": {
      +    "message": {
      +      "type": "string"
      +    },
      +    "resets_at": {
      +      "type": [
      +        "string",
      +        "null"
      +      ]
      +    },
      +    "upgrade_url": {
      +      "type": "string"
      +    }
      +  },
      +  "required": [
      +    "upgrade_url",
      +    "resets_at",
      +    "message"
      +  ],
      +  "type": "object"
      +}
    • addedOutput schema / properties / meta / properties / credits_remaining
      Added value: +{
      +  "description": "The workspace's credits left after this call. null when the call did not check the balance (free tools, cache hits, dry runs, tasks) or the balance has no limit.",
      +  "type": [
      +    "number",
      +    "null"
      +  ]
      +}
    • changedOutput schema / properties / meta / required
      Previous value: -[
      -  "provider",
      -  "credits_charged",
      -  "est_credits",
      -  "cached",
      -  "data_as_of",
      -  "rows_returned",
      -  "rows_available",
      -  "cursor",
      -  "request_id"
      -]New value: +[
      +  "provider",
      +  "credits_charged",
      +  "est_credits",
      +  "cached",
      +  "data_as_of",
      +  "rows_returned",
      +  "rows_available",
      +  "cursor",
      +  "request_id",
      +  "credits_remaining"
      +]
  4. Added

TDQS

A4.4/5.0
Behavior4/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

Annotations already cover the safety profile (readOnly, openWorld, idempotent, non-destructive), and the description adds information annotations cannot carry: cost of 1 credit, a 24-hour cache window, and the caveat that rankings vary by geographic point so a rank grid needs one call per point. It does not mention failure modes such as BudgetExceeded, which keeps it short of a 5.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness4/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

Strongly structured and front-loaded: scope, then Use when / Not for / Returns / Cost / Example. It is on the long side, with four verbose trigger phrases and four excluded alternatives, but every line either routes the agent or prevents a misuse, so it stays close to earning its length.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness5/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

For a read-only search with an output schema, the essential context is selection guidance, cost, and geographic behavior, and all three are present. The Returns block is redundant with the output schema but not harmful, and the worked example shows a valid minimal call.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters3/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

Schema description coverage is 89%, so the schema already documents zoom, depth, language, location, latitude/longitude and dry_run. The description reinforces the geographic-vs-location switch and the lat/long pairing rule, but that mostly restates the schema rather than adding new syntax or format semantics. Baseline 3 is appropriate.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose5/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

States a specific resource and scope: the ranked set of places Maps returns for a keyword in an area, in Maps' order. It explicitly differentiates itself from the closest siblings (maps_search_businesses, maps_get_place, seo_get_serp, leads_search_companies), so an agent can route without opening any schema.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines5/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

Has explicit 'Use when' triggers (rank spot checks, local competitor discovery, 'who shows up on Maps') and an explicit 'Not for' list that names the correct alternative tool for each excluded case. Nothing about when to pick this over a sibling is left to inference.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.

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