# local_search

Find local businesses, restaurants, services, and places near any location. Returns name, type, address, phone, website, hours, cuisine, and distance. Use this for 'find restaurants near me', 'coffee shops in downtown Houston', 'gas stations near 60601', 'best pizza in Chicago', 'pharmacies nearby', 'hotels in Austin', 'find a mechanic', 'gyms near me', or any local business or place discovery question. Supports: restaurants, cafes, bars, gas stations, pharmacies, hospitals, doctors, dentists, gyms, hotels, grocery stores, banks, schools, parks, libraries, auto repair, salons, and more.

Agent View of the PolicyLayer registry record for `local_search`. HTML page: https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/local-search

## Facts

- Tool: `local_search`
- Server: Livedatalink (`https://livedatalink.ai/mcp`) — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink.md
- Homepage: https://github.com/blackboxfoundry/livedatalink
- Risk category: Read (Low risk)
- Registry record: grade F, identity unverified
- Server auth posture: open
- Server CORS policy: *
- Server rate-limited: no
- Parameters: 3 (2 required)
- Recommended policy verdict: Allowed

## Parameters

| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `query` | string | yes | What to find (e.g., 'restaurants', 'coffee', 'gas station') |
| `radius` | number | no | Search radius in miles (default: 1.5) |
| `location` | string | yes | Where to search (city, zip, or address) |

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": "local_search",
    "arguments": {
      "query": "<query>",
      "location": "<location>"
    }
  }
}
```

## Why local_search is rated Low

This tool performs queries against a local business database to retrieve publicly available information about businesses and places. It has no capability to create, modify, delete, or execute actions—it only searches and returns structured data about businesses. The severity is low because misuse would only result in unwanted information retrieval, not data modification, financial impact, or system compromise.

From the tool's own definition: "Tool description states it 'Find[s] local businesses, restaurants, services, and places near any location' and 'Returns name, type, address, phone, website, hours, cuisine, and distance.' The verb 'find' and 'returns' indicate data retrieval with no…"

## Use case

AI agents call local_search to retrieve information from Livedatalink 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 Livedatalink:

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

## Other tools on Livedatalink (279)

- `beneficial_owner_screen` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/beneficial-owner-screen.md
- `cdc_dataset_query` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/cdc-dataset-query.md
- `clinical_site_selector` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/clinical-site-selector.md
- `air_quality` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/air-quality.md
- `bank_health_report` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/bank-health-report.md
- `bls_indicator` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/bls-indicator.md
- `bls_series` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/bls-series.md
- `book_details` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/book-details.md
- `book_fulltext_search` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/book-fulltext-search.md
- `book_get_text` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/book-get-text.md
- `book_search` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/book-search.md
- `book_status` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/book-status.md
- `bounce_scanner` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/bounce-scanner.md
- `candlestick_signals` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/candlestick-signals.md
- `cargo_crate` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/cargo-crate.md
- `carrier_vetting_score` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/carrier-vetting-score.md
- `caselaw_case_details` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/caselaw-case-details.md
- `caselaw_citation_lookup` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/caselaw-citation-lookup.md
- `caselaw_opinion_text` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/caselaw-opinion-text.md
- `caselaw_search` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/caselaw-search.md
- `cdc_drug_overdose_deaths` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/cdc-drug-overdose-deaths.md
- `cdc_excess_deaths_covid` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/cdc-excess-deaths-covid.md
- `cdc_flu_surveillance` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/cdc-flu-surveillance.md
- `cdc_leading_causes_of_death` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/cdc-leading-causes-of-death.md
- `cdc_outbreak_reports` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/cdc-outbreak-reports.md
- `cdc_vaccination_coverage` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/cdc-vaccination-coverage.md
- `cdc_weekly_deaths_by_state` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/cdc-weekly-deaths-by-state.md
- `census_business` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/census-business.md
- `census_commute_employment` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/census-commute-employment.md
- `census_demographics` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/census-demographics.md
- …and 249 more: https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink.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=io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink · API: https://policylayer.com/registry/api · Policy library: https://policylayer.com/policies/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink