"Find restaurants / hotels / coffee shops / [businesses] near [location]" / "nearby [type] within [radius]" / "places to eat in [area]" — find nearby businesses and points of interest via Google Maps Places. Returns names, addresses, Google ratings, distances. Premium-quality POI data; requires G...
Risk signalsAccepts freeform code/query input (query)
Part of the Google_maps server.
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AI agents call maps_place_search to retrieve information from Google_maps without modifying any data. This is common in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows where the agent needs context before taking action. Because read operations don't change state, they are generally safe to allow without restrictions -- but you may still want rate limits to control API costs.
Even though maps_place_search only reads data, uncontrolled read access can leak sensitive information or rack up API costs. An agent caught in a retry loop could make thousands of calls per minute. A rate limit gives you a safety net without blocking legitimate use.
Read-only tools are safe to allow by default. No rate limit needed unless you want to control costs.
{
"version": "1",
"default": "deny",
"tools": {
"maps_place_search": {}
}
}See the full Google_maps policy for all 27 tools.
These attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access maps_place_search gives an agent. Each links to the full case and the policy that stops it:
Other read tools across the catalogue. The same approach applies to each: allow, with a rate cap to control cost.
"Find restaurants / hotels / coffee shops / [businesses] near [location]" / "nearby [type] within [radius]" / "places to eat in [area]" — find nearby businesses and points of interest via Google Maps Places. Returns names, addresses, Google ratings, distances. Premium-quality POI data; requires Google Maps API key. Use over Yelp/OSM when you want Google's POI coverage and ratings.. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Google_maps MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the Google_maps MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for maps_place_search: allow, deny, rate-limit, or require approval. Point your MCP client at the PolicyLayer proxy URL and the rule is enforced on every call, before it reaches Google_maps. Nothing to install.
maps_place_search is a Read tool with low risk. Read-only tools are generally safe to allow by default.
Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the maps_place_search rule in your PolicyLayer policy. For example, setting max: 10 and window: 60 limits the tool to 10 calls per minute. Rate limits are tracked per agent session and reset automatically.
Set action: deny in the PolicyLayer policy for maps_place_search. The AI agent will receive a policy violation error and cannot call the tool. You can also include a reason field to explain why the tool is blocked.
maps_place_search is provided by the Google_maps MCP server (https://gateway.pipeworx.io/google_maps/mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
Deterministic rules across all 27 Google_maps tools. Per-identity grants. Full audit log. Live in minutes. Nothing to install.
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