pifini

Search places and businesses

search_places

Read-onlyIdempotent

Search Pifini's places directory across the Caribbean and Latin America — restaurants, bars, beaches, attractions, venues, hotels, tour operators, professionals, and services. Every result carries listing_type: 'curated' is a small, editorially reviewed set of flagship entries; 'directory' is the much larger set sourced from open map data (name, category, location, contact info) that has no reviews yet — say so rather than implying a recommendation the data doesn't back up. Category is a specific Overture taxonomy value (e.g. caribbean_restaurant, church_cathedral), not a broad bucket — call list_categories first if unsure of the exact value. Results marked is_sponsored are paid placements — disclose that when recommending.

Tool call template

This tool declares no required parameters. Add optional parameters from the input schema as needed.

{
  "id": 1,
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "arguments": {},
    "name": "search_places"
  }
}

Input Schema

Name	Required	Description
`city`	No	City name filter
`limit`	No	Max results, 1-50 (default 10)
`query`	No	Free-text search over name and summary
`offset`	No	Skip this many matching results (for paging past the limit)
`country`	No	ISO-3166 alpha-2 country code
`category`	No	Filter by exact category value (e.g. 'caribbean_restaurant'). Use list_categories to discover valid values — there are 1,000+, not a small fixed set.
`near_lat`	No	Latitude to search near (pair with near_lng)
`near_lng`	No	Longitude to search near (pair with near_lat)
`radius_km`	No	Search radius in km around near_lat/near_lng (default 25, max 500)
`entity_type`	No	Filter by broad type of place

Output Schema

Name	Required	Description
`count`	Yes	Number of places in this page of results
`total`	Yes	Total places matching the filters, across all pages. Use this before claiming how many exist.
`places`	Yes
`has_more`	Yes	True when more matches exist beyond this page.
`next_offset`	No	Pass as `offset` to fetch the next page. Null when this is the last page.

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Changed5 schema fields changedAug 14, 2026

addedOutput schema / properties / count / description

Added value: +"Number of places in this page of results"

addedOutput schema / properties / has_more

Added value: +{
+  "description": "True when more matches exist beyond this page.",
+  "type": "boolean"
+}

addedOutput schema / properties / next_offset

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Pass as `offset` to fetch the next page. Null when this is the last page.",
+  "type": [
+    "number",
+    "null"
+  ]
+}

addedOutput schema / properties / total

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Total places matching the filters, across all pages. Use this before claiming how many exist.",
+  "type": "number"
+}

changedOutput schema / required

Previous value: -[
-  "count",
-  "places"
-]New value: +[
+  "count",
+  "total",
+  "has_more",
+  "places"
+]

Changed9 schema fields changedJul 28, 2026

addedInput schema / properties / category

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Filter by exact category value (e.g. 'caribbean_restaurant'). Use list_categories to discover valid values — there are 1,000+, not a small fixed set.",
+  "type": "string"
+}

changedInput schema / properties / entity_type / description

Previous value: -"Filter by type of place"New value: +"Filter by broad type of place"

changedInput schema / properties / limit / description

Previous value: -"Max results, 1-25 (default 10)"New value: +"Max results, 1-50 (default 10)"

removedInput schema / properties / min_rating

Removed value: -{
-  "description": "Minimum average rating 1-5",
-  "type": "number"
-}

addedInput schema / properties / near_lat

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Latitude to search near (pair with near_lng)",
+  "type": "number"
+}

addedInput schema / properties / near_lng

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Longitude to search near (pair with near_lat)",
+  "type": "number"
+}

addedInput schema / properties / offset

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Skip this many matching results (for paging past the limit)",
+  "type": "number"
+}

addedInput schema / properties / radius_km

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Search radius in km around near_lat/near_lng (default 25, max 500)",
+  "type": "number"
+}

changedOutput schema / (root)

Previous value: -nullNew value: +{
+  "properties": {
+    "count": {
+      "type": "number"
+    },
+    "places": {
+      "items": {
+        "properties": {
+          "avg_rating": {
+            "type": [
+              "number",
+              "null"
+            ]
+          },
+          "category": {
+            "type": [
+              "string",
+              "null"
+            ]
+          },
+          "city": {
+            "type": [
+              "string",
+              "null"
+            ]
+          },
+          "country": {
+            "type": [
+              "string",
+              "null"
+            ]
+          },
+          "distance_km": {
+            "type": [
+              "number",
+              "null"
+            ]
+          },
+          "is_sponsored": {
+            "type": "boolean"
+          },
+          "is_verified": {
+            "type": "boolean"
+          },
+          "listing_type": {
+            "enum": [
+              "curated",
+              "directory"
+            ],
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          "name": {
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          "price_tier": {
+            "type": [
+              "string",
+              "null"
+            ]
+          },
+          "review_count": {
+            "type": "number"
+          },
+          "slug": {
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          "summary": {
+            "type": [
+              "string",
+              "null"
+            ]
+          },
+          "type": {
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          "url": {
+            "type": "string"
+          }
+        },
+        "type": "object"
+      },
+      "type": "array"
+    }
+  },
+  "required": [
+    "count",
+    "places"
+  ],
+  "type": "object"
+}

First observedJul 2, 2026

TDQS

A4.7/5.0

Behavior5/5

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

Annotations already mark this as read-only and non-destructive, so the description adds valuable context about result types (curated vs directory), data provenance, and disclosure requirements. No contradiction with annotations.

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

Conciseness5/5

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

The description is composed of three well-organized sentences, each conveying essential information: scope, result interpretation, and category taxonomy. No filler or redundancy.

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?

The description covers critical operational nuances including regional scope, data quality tiers, category specificity, and sponsored content handling. With an output schema present, this is sufficiently complete for accurate use.

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?

The input schema already provides descriptions for all 10 parameters (100% coverage). The tool description adds minimal parameter-specific context beyond reiterating the category guidance already present in the schema, so it stays at the baseline 3.

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?

Description clearly states the tool searches Pifini's places directory across a specific region, listing the types of places covered. It distinguishes from siblings like search_events and get_place through resource specificity, making the purpose unambiguous.

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?

Provides explicit guidance on when to use the tool and directs users to list_categories first for valid category values. It also gives behavioral instructions for interpreting curated vs directory results and disclosing sponsored content, going beyond basic usage.

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

All pifini tools Inspect

Try in Browser

One endpoint for every MCP toolRayrun runs every MCP server behind one URL and holds the credentials. Each call is decided per client, tool, and argument, then recorded.ray.runAd

Glama MCP Gateway

Add one secure layer between your agents and this server.

Resources

Need Help?