Google Places — Location & Business Search

Search for places, get business details, and find recommendations via Google Places API.

When to Use

✅ USE this skill when:

User asks "find me a...", "best X near Y", "what's open near me"
Restaurant/bar/cafe recommendations
Business lookups (hours, phone, address, ratings)
Travel planning (hotels, attractions, things to do in X)
"Is X open right now?"
Price comparisons for local services
Directions or distance between places

❌ DON'T use this skill when:

General web search (use web_search tool)
News or current events (use Sonar)
Non-location queries

API Key

Stored in the script. Key: AIzaSyBPr1G_HLss2GJFSXFLqk0RVO8Vd3oBoEU

Usage

Search for places

python3 ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/google-places/scripts/places.py search \
  --query "best ramen near Boston MA" \
  --limit 5

Get place details

python3 ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/google-places/scripts/places.py details \
  --place-id "ChIJN1t_tDeuEmsRUsoyG83frY4"

Nearby search (by coordinates)

python3 ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/google-places/scripts/places.py nearby \
  --lat 42.3601 --lng -71.0589 \
  --type restaurant \
  --radius 1500

Options

| Flag | Description | Default | |------|-------------|---------| | --query | Text search query | Required for search | | --place-id | Google Place ID | Required for details | | --lat / --lng | Coordinates for nearby search | Optional | | --type | Place type filter (restaurant, cafe, hotel, etc.) | Optional | | --radius | Search radius in meters | 5000 | | --limit | Max results | 5 | | --open-now | Only show currently open places | false |

Output

Returns JSON with:

Name, address, rating (1-5), total reviews
Price level ($-$$$$)
Open/closed status and hours
Phone number, website
Google Maps link
Top reviews (for details)

Tips

Always include a location in the query for best results
Use --open-now flag when the user asks "what's open"
For detailed info (hours, reviews, phone), use the details command with the place_id from search results
Price levels: 0=Free, 1=$, 2=$$, 3=$$$, 4=$$$$