Answer a plain-English question
askAnswer a plain-English question about a US place or area in one step: plans it exactly as plan_question does, then runs the plan (point facts, nearest features, a parcel lookup, a parcel search or a geocode) and charges for that call. plan_question is the free, plan-only counterpart (0 lookups, nothing runs) that shows the tool, arguments and estimated cost first; the specific tools give finer control over fields and paging. Output: answer (a short deterministic summary), plan and the full result of the call made. When the plan needs a location or state that was not given, nothing runs and needs lists what is missing. Cost: metered exactly like the tool it calls (a geocode plan is free; a point-facts plan is 1 lookup per 50 fields); max_lookups refuses plans estimated above it, without charge. Behavior: read-only like plan_question, with the access, rate limits, timeouts and latency of the tool it calls; needs an API key or OAuth sign-in. Each ask makes one call, so a parcel search plan returns only its first page (25 parcels by default); parcel_search pages the rest. Errors: question_incomplete (see needs), over_budget (estimate above max_lookups), and any error of the tool it calls.
Input Schema
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| lat | No | WGS84 latitude in decimal degrees (e.g. 30.2672), paired with lng. Optional: the place, when the question does not name it; lat+lng or address, not both. | |
| lng | No | WGS84 longitude in decimal degrees (e.g. -97.7431, negative in the US), paired with lat. | |
| address | No | US street address with city and state (e.g. '350 5th Ave, New York, NY'), geocoded by the US Census geocoder along the street. An alternative to lat+lng; giving both is an invalid_locator error. | |
| question | Yes | The question, 3 to 500 characters (e.g. 'nearest substation to 30.27, -97.74'). | |
| max_lookups | No | Optional budget: plans estimated above this many lookups are refused without charge. |