🗺️ Google Maps Contributor Reviews API: a reviewer's history as clean JSON

The most efficient, reliable, and developer-friendly way to use the Google Maps Contributor Reviews API.

Actor page: apify.com/johnvc/google-maps-contributor-reviews-api Input schema: apify.com/johnvc/google-maps-contributor-reviews-api/input-schema

Pull a Google Maps contributor's review history as structured JSON. Give the API a contributor ID and get every review that reviewer has left, each with the rating, text, date, photos, and the place reviewed, plus the reviewer's own profile: Local Guide level, points, and total contributions. It turns a single reviewer into structured data for reputation research, reviewer vetting, and review-fraud detection.

Video Walkthrough

Related MCP server: Google Maps Reviews Scraper MCP Server

Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Python 3.11 or higher

• An Apify account and API key (get a free key here)

1. Clone the repository

   git clone https://github.com/johnisanerd/Google-Maps-Contributor-Reviews-API.git
   cd Google-Maps-Contributor-Reviews-API

2. Install dependencies with UV

   # Install UV if you do not have it:
   curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh
   
   # Install project dependencies:
   uv sync

3. Configure your API key

   cp .env.example .env
   # Edit .env and add your Apify API key
   # Get your free API key at: https://apify.com?fpr=9n7kx3

4. Run an example

   # Single example:
   uv run python google-maps-contributor-reviews-api-example.py
   
   # Batch example (profiles several reviewers in one run):
   uv run python google-maps-contributor-reviews-api-batch-example.py

Alternative: set the API key directly

export APIFY_API_TOKEN="your_api_key_here"
uv run python google-maps-contributor-reviews-api-example.py

Why Use This Google Maps Contributor Reviews API?

Turn a reviewer into data. One contributor ID returns their full recent review history with the reviewer's profile attached.

Clean, structured output. Every review is one row, ready to load into a dataframe, a database, or an AI pipeline.

Built for fraud detection. The reviewer's level, points, and contribution counts, plus their review pattern across places, make mass reviewers and single-target campaigns easy to spot.

MCP-ready. AI agents can call it as a tool through the hosted Apify MCP server to profile a reviewer on demand.

Features

Core Capabilities

• A contributor's recent review history from one ID

• The reviewer's profile: level, points, local-guide status, contributions

• The place reviewed, with address and coordinates

• Batch several reviewers in one run

Data Quality

• One clean row per review, tagged with the contributor ID and profile

• Stable JSON shape, easy to load anywhere

Usage Examples

Basic Example

{
  "contributorId": "107022004965696773221"
}

Advanced Example

{
  "contributorIds": ["107022004965696773221", "100000000000000000000"],
  "maxResultsPerContributor": 10
}

For a runnable batch script, see google-maps-contributor-reviews-api-batch-example.py in this repo.

Input Parameters

Output Format

Each item in the dataset is one review:

{
  "result_type": "review",
  "contributor_id": "107022004965696773221",
  "position": 1,
  "contributor_name": "Matt Moeini",
  "contributor_level": 5,
  "contributor_local_guide": true,
  "contributor_points": 952,
  "rating": 5,
  "snippet": "Great little spot, the service was excellent ...",
  "date": "2 months ago",
  "place_info": { "title": "Le Petit Marcel", "address": "2914 N Broadway, Chicago, IL 60657", "type": "Restaurant" },
  "link": "https://www.google.com/maps/..."
}

Install in Claude Cowork Desktop

Cowork is the desktop app's automation mode. To give it the Google Maps Contributor Reviews API as a tool, add the Apify MCP server as a connector.

1. Open the Claude desktop app and go to Settings → Connectors (or Settings → Developer → Edit Config to edit claude_desktop_config.json directly).

   • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

   • Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

2. Add the Apify MCP server, preloaded with only this Actor:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "apify": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=actors,docs,johnvc/google-maps-contributor-reviews-api"
      ]
    }
  }
}

3. Restart the app. When Cowork first calls the tool, complete the OAuth prompt in your browser, or add your Apify API token in the connector settings to skip OAuth.

4. In a Cowork chat, confirm the tool is available and ask it to run the Google Maps Contributor Reviews API.

Download the desktop app and start a free trial: https://claude.ai/referral/uIlpa7nPLg More help: https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/claude-desktop

Install in Claude Code

Claude Code is the command-line tool. Add the Actor's MCP server with one command:

claude mcp add --transport http apify \
  "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=actors,docs,johnvc/google-maps-contributor-reviews-api"

To use a token instead of browser OAuth:

claude mcp add --transport http apify \
  "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=actors,docs,johnvc/google-maps-contributor-reviews-api" \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN"

Then verify with claude mcp list, or run /mcp inside a session. Ask Claude Code to call the Google Maps Contributor Reviews API.

Try Claude Code free: https://claude.ai/referral/uIlpa7nPLg Claude Code MCP docs: https://code.claude.com/docs/en/mcp

Install in Claude (website)

On claude.ai you add Apify as a connector, then enable just this Actor's tool.

1. Go to Settings → Connectors → Browse connectors and search for Apify MCP server. Install it (enable or update if prompted).

2. When connecting, authenticate with your Apify API token, and enable the tool johnvc/google-maps-contributor-reviews-api.

3. In any chat, open + → Connectors and turn on Apify.

4. Alternatively, choose Add custom connector and paste the full MCP URL https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=actors,docs,johnvc/google-maps-contributor-reviews-api, using OAuth when prompted.

5. Ask Claude to run the Google Maps Contributor Reviews API.

Open Claude on the web: https://claude.ai

Install in Cursor

Cursor reads MCP servers from a project file at .cursor/mcp.json.

1. In your project, create .cursor/mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "apify": {
      "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=actors,docs,johnvc/google-maps-contributor-reviews-api"
    }
  }
}

2. If you prefer token auth over browser OAuth, add a header:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "apify": {
      "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=actors,docs,johnvc/google-maps-contributor-reviews-api",
      "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN" }
    }
  }
}

3. Open Cursor → Settings → MCP and confirm the apify server is connected (green dot).

4. In Composer or Chat, ask Cursor to call the Google Maps Contributor Reviews API.

New to Cursor? Get it here: https://cursor.com/referral?code=XQP4VBLI3NNX

Install in ChatGPT

ChatGPT connects to the Apify MCP server through Developer mode (available on ChatGPT Pro, Plus, Business, Enterprise, and Education plans).

1. Click your profile icon, then go to Settings > Apps. If you do not see a Create app button, open Advanced settings and enable Developer mode.

2. Click Create app and fill out the form:

   • Name: Apify

   • MCP Server URL: https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=actors,docs,johnvc/google-maps-contributor-reviews-api

   • Authentication: OAuth

3. Click Create and authorize the connection with Apify.

4. To use the app in a conversation, click + in the chat, choose Developer mode, and select Apify.

More help: https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp

Made with care

Use the Google Maps Contributor Reviews API to vet reviewers and detect review fraud in your product or AI agent.

Last Updated: 2026.06.14