• DATA
  • REVIEWS
  • LISTS
  • HUMAN

How to find and research local businesses with your AI

Connect Google Maps to your agent to turn a chat into a local research tool. Once connected, your AI handles the searching and data gathering for you.

Ask AI about this page

Short answer

How can I use my AI to find local businesses?

Your AI uses Google Maps to locate specific venues and extract details like phone numbers, operating hours, and customer reviews. You get a curated list of options without leaving your chat. This breakdown shows you how to pull that data.

Research outcomes

What you get from your research

The AI processes map data into organized information you can use.

DATA

Contact and hours

The AI pulls phone numbers and opening times for every venue it finds. You won't have to click through individual profiles to see if a place is open.

REVIEWS

Sentiment analysis

Your agent reads through customer reviews to summarize what people actually think. You get the gist of a business's reputation instantly.

LISTS

Curated venue lists

Instead of scrolling a map, you get a clean list of businesses that match your specific criteria. This makes comparing options much faster.

HUMAN

Final decision making

The AI gathers the facts and the feedback, but you decide which business is worth visiting or contacting. It handles the legwork so you can make the call.

The workflow

What your AI does when you ask for local info.

The AI moves from broad searches to specific business profiles to build your report.

  1. Locate venues

    The AI scans for specific types of businesses or names in a given area.

    place_search

  2. Get business details

    Once a venue is identified, the AI pulls its specific profile information.

    place_details

  3. Extract contact info

    The agent pulls the phone numbers and addresses needed for your outreach.

    place_details

  4. Summarize reviews

    The AI looks at user feedback to give you a quick summary of the business quality.

    place_details

Try it

Copy these to start.

Use these prompts to kick off your research.

Starting points

These are basic ways to start. Swap out the bracketed text for the actual places or categories you want to find.

Google Maps Connector

You're all set. Choose your MCP client and follow the setup instructions.

Connector linkhttps://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_xmZ0zHtBjVuEwsW3dLvmj4Q0ObN1EPaxXhr90QNG/mcp

Claude Desktop

Follow the steps below to connect in seconds.

  1. 1In Claude Desktop, open Settings → Connectors.
  2. 2Click “Add custom connector” and paste the connector link above as the remote MCP server URL.
  3. 3Click Add and start a new chat — Google Maps capabilities are ready to use.
Configuration · claude_desktop_config.jsonCopy
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "google-maps-mcp": {
      "url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_xmZ0zHtBjVuEwsW3dLvmj4Q0ObN1EPaxXhr90QNG/mcp"
    }
  }
}
Copy into chat04

  • Find all Italian restaurants in downtown Chicago and list their phone numbers.

  • Search for coffee shops in Brooklyn and tell me which ones are open after 8 PM.

  • Look up 'Joe's Pizza' in New York and summarize the recent customer reviews.

  • Find highly rated hardware stores in Austin and give me their addresses.

  • Claude
  • ChatGPT
  • Cursor
  • VS Code
  • Windsurf
  • Claude Code
  • JetBrains
  • Cline

Start here

Connect Google Maps once, then ask.

Click the link to connect the MCP to your client. Your credentials stay encrypted, and you can start searching immediately.

Connect Google Maps to your AI

FAQ

How this task behaves

  • 01

    Can the AI book a reservation for me?

    No. The AI can find the business and its contact details, but it cannot interact with booking systems or make phone calls.

  • 02

    Can the AI change a business's hours on Google?

    No. The AI only reads existing data from Google Maps. It cannot edit, delete, or update any information on the map.

  • 03

    How does it handle reviews?

    The AI reads the text of the reviews to provide a summary of the business's reputation.

  • 04

    Can I search for specific addresses?

    Yes. You can ask for businesses at a specific location or within a certain radius.

  • 05

    Does it show me photos of the places?

    No. The current tools are designed to pull text-based data like addresses, hours, and reviews.

  • More questions about Google Maps? See everything the Google Maps Connector can do

Connect Google Maps to Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT & more