• SEARCH
  • DISCOVER
  • DETAILS
  • HUMAN

How to find local businesses with your AI

Connect the Google Maps Platform to your AI client to turn it into a local discovery tool. Once connected, you can pull real-time location data directly into your chat.

Ask AI about this page

Short answer

How can I find local businesses using my AI?

Your AI searches Google Maps to locate specific businesses or find everything in a certain area. It then pulls specific details like opening hours and customer ratings for the places it finds. You get a curated list of local options without leaving your chat interface.

Where your data lands

What you can do

The AI handles the searching and data gathering.

SEARCH

Find specific spots

The AI looks up exact business names or specific types of places. You get direct hits for the locations you name.

DISCOVER

Explore nearby areas

Ask for everything within a certain radius of a location. The AI scans the surrounding area for relevant businesses.

DETAILS

Get business info

The AI pulls specific data like phone numbers, ratings, and hours. You get the granular details needed to make a decision.

HUMAN

Make the choice

The AI presents the data, but you decide which business to visit or contact. It handles the lookup, you handle the action.

The workflow

What your AI does when you ask for local info.

The AI moves from a broad search to specific data points using Google Maps tools.

  1. Locate a place

    The AI identifies a specific business or point of interest based on your text description.

    find_place_from_text

  2. Scan the neighborhood

    The AI finds multiple businesses within a specific distance of a central point.

    search_nearby_places

  3. Fetch deep data

    The AI grabs the specific details for a single location, such as its current status or rating.

    get_place_details

  4. Organize results

    The AI processes the raw map data into a readable list or summary for you.

    get_place_details

Try it

Copy these to start.

Use these prompts to trigger the search tools.

Starting points

Swap out the bracketed text for the actual places or categories you want to find.

Google Maps Platform Connector

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

Connector linkhttps://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_TZ75egta3actMSKRncYJIN13dgpX4S6lJJlYCUlb/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 Platform capabilities are ready to use.
Configuration · claude_desktop_config.jsonCopy
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "google-maps-platform-mcp": {
      "url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_TZ75egta3actMSKRncYJIN13dgpX4S6lJJlYCUlb/mcp"
    }
  }
}
Copy into chat04

  • Find the contact information and hours for [Business Name] in [City].

  • Search for all [Type of business, e.g., coffee shops] near [Location].

  • What are the highest rated [Type of business] in [Neighborhood]?

  • Find a [Type of business] near [Address] and tell me if they are open now.

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

Start here

Connect Google Maps Platform once, then ask.

One connection gives your AI access to the entire Maps database. Your credentials stay encrypted and secure on our side.

Connect Google Maps Platform to your AI

FAQ

How this task behaves

  • 01

    Can the AI book a table at a restaurant?

    No. The AI can find the restaurant and show you its details, but it cannot perform bookings or reservations.

  • 02

    Can the AI add a new business to Google Maps?

    No. The tools only allow the AI to read existing data from Google Maps, not write or create new entries.

  • 03

    Does the AI show me photos of the businesses?

    The AI can retrieve business details, but it primarily provides text-based information like ratings, addresses, and hours.

  • 04

    Can I search for businesses by their specific street address?

    Yes. You can use text-based searches to find specific locations or businesses at a given address.

  • 05

    Will the AI tell me if a place is currently busy?

    The AI can retrieve business hours and general info, but it does not have access to real-time live busyness data.

  • More questions about Google Maps Platform? The Connector page answers them. See everything the Google Maps Platform Connector can do

Connect Google Maps Platform to Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT & more