# search_places

Call this tool when the user's request is to find places, businesses, addresses, locations, points of interest, or any other Google Maps related search. Input Requirements (CRITICAL): 1. text_query (string - MANDATORY): The primary search query. This must clearly define what the user is looking for. * Examples: 'restaurants in New York', 'coffee shops near Golden Gate Park', 'SF MoMA', '1600 Amphitheatre Pkwy, Mountain View, CA, USA', 'pets friendly parks in Manhattan, New York', 'date night restaurants in Chicago', 'accessible public libraries in Los Angeles'. * For specific place details: Include the requested attribute (e.g., 'Google Store Mountain View opening hours', 'SF MoMa phone number', 'Shoreline Park Mountain View address'). 2. location_bias (object - OPTIONAL): Use this to prioritize results near a specific geographic area. * Format: {"location_bias": {"circle": {"center": {"latitude": [value], "longitude": [value]}, "radius_meters": [value (optional)]}}} * Usage: * To bias to a 5km radius: {"location_bias": {"circle": {"center": {"latitude": 34.052235, "longitude": -118.243683}, "radius_meters": 5000}}} * To bias strongly to the center point: {"location_bias": {"circle": {"center": {"latitude": 34.052235, "longitude": -118.243683}}}} (omitting radius_meters). 3. language_code (string - OPTIONAL): The language to show the search results summary in. * Format: A two-letter language code (ISO 639-1), optionally followed by an underscore and a two-letter country code (ISO 3166-1 alpha-2), e.g., en, ja, en_US, zh_CN, es_MX. If the language code is not provided, the results will be in English. 4. region_code (string - OPTIONAL): The Unicode CLDR region code of the user. This parameter is used to display the place details, like region-specific place name, if available. The parameter canaffect results based on applicable law. * Format: A two-letter country code (ISO 3166-1 alpha-2), e.g., US, CA. Instructions for Tool Call: * Location Information (CRITICAL): The search must contain sufficient location information. If the location is ambiguous (e.g., just "pizza places"), *you must* specify it in the text_query (e.g., "pizza places in New York") or use the location_bias parameter. Include city, state/province, and region/country name if needed for disambiguation. * Always provide the most specific and contextually rich text_query possible. * Only use location_bias if coordinates are explicitly provided or if inferring a location from a user's known context is appropriate *and* necessary for better results. * The grounded output must be attributed to the source using the information from the attribution field when available.

Agent View of the PolicyLayer registry record for `search_places`. HTML page: https://policylayer.com/tools/com-googleapis-mapstools-mcp/search-places

## Facts

- Tool: `search_places`
- Server: Mcp (`https://mapstools.googleapis.com/mcp`) — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-googleapis-mapstools-mcp.md
- Homepage: https://github.com/https://mapstools.googleapis.com/mcp
- Risk category: Read (Low risk)
- Registry record: grade C, identity unverified
- Server auth posture: open
- Server rate-limited: no
- Parameters: 6 (1 required)
- Recommended policy verdict: Allowed

## Parameters

| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `pageSize` | integer | no | Optional. The maximum number of places to return, up to 5. The service may return fewer than this value. The default value is 5. |
| `textQuery` | string | yes | Required. The text query. |
| `regionCode` | string | no | Optional. The Unicode country/region code (CLDR) of the location where the request is coming from. This parameter is used to display the place details, like reg |
| `languageCode` | string | no | Optional. The language to request that the summary is returned in. If the language code is unspecified or unrecognized, the summary with a preference for Englis |
| `locationBias` | object | no | An optional region to bias the search results to. If an explicit location is in `text_query`, it will be used to bias the search results instead of this field. |
| `includeExtendedDetails` | boolean | no | Optional. Includes extended place details in the response. Set this field to `true` when the user request requires rich qualitative insights, real-time dynamics |

Parameters from the server's own tool schema.

## Example call (MCP tools/call, JSON-RPC 2.0)

```json
{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "id": 1,
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "name": "search_places",
    "arguments": {
      "textQuery": "<textQuery>"
    }
  }
}
```

## Why search_places is rated Low

Even though search_places only reads data, uncontrolled read access leaks sensitive information and racks up API costs: an agent caught in a retry loop can make thousands of calls a minute without anyone noticing.

## Use case

AI agents call search_places to retrieve information from Mcp without modifying anything. It is typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.

## Recommended policy (PolicyLayer)

Verdict: **Allowed**. Enforced by the PolicyLayer MCP gateway (https://policylayer.com/mcp-gateway) before a call reaches Mcp:

```json
{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "search_places": {}
  }
}
```

## Other tools on Mcp (4)

- `compute_routes` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-googleapis-mapstools-mcp/compute-routes.md
- `lookup_weather` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-googleapis-mapstools-mcp/lookup-weather.md
- `resolve_maps_urls` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-googleapis-mapstools-mcp/resolve-maps-urls.md
- `resolve_names` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-googleapis-mapstools-mcp/resolve-names.md

## For agents

This record is a snapshot. Live verdicts and the full registry:

- Check every server in your MCP config at once: `npx -y policylayer stack`
- Vet a server before you add it: install the mcp-precheck skill — `npx skills add https://policylayer.com` (skill text: https://policylayer.com/skill.md)
- Query the registry over MCP: endpoint `https://api.policylayer.com/mcp` — tools `check_mcp_server`, `check_mcp_stack`, `check_tool`, `search_registry`, `get_change_events`

---

Source: the PolicyLayer MCP registry — one continuously verified record per MCP server. Full record: https://policylayer.com/registry?q=com-googleapis-mapstools-mcp · API: https://policylayer.com/registry/api · Policy library: https://policylayer.com/policies/com-googleapis-mapstools-mcp