local-places

What This Skill Does

The local-places skill provides a powerful interface for interacting with the Google Places API via a local proxy server. By leveraging this tool, the OpenClaw agent gains the ability to resolve vague location strings (like "downtown Seattle" or "near the Eiffel Tower") into precise latitude and longitude coordinates. Once a location is established, the agent can conduct refined searches for specific establishments—such as restaurants, cafes, or gyms—while applying granular filters like minimum ratings, price levels, and current operating status. This skill effectively acts as an intelligent bridge between natural language user intent and structured geospatial data, allowing the AI to answer location-aware queries with high accuracy and context-specific detail.

Installation

To install this skill, run the following command in your terminal: clawhub install openclaw/skills/skills/steipete/local-places. Once installed, ensure you have a valid Google Places API key. Navigate to the base directory of the skill and create a .env file containing GOOGLE_PLACES_API_KEY=your-key. You will need to initialize a virtual environment and install the dependencies using uv. Finally, start the local server using uv run --env-file .env uvicorn local_places.main:app --host 127.0.0.1 --port 8000 to enable the agent to communicate with the proxy.

Use Cases

This skill is perfect for building "concierge-style" AI agents. Use it to help users find the best-rated coffee shops within a specific walking distance, check if local businesses are currently open, or provide detailed addresses for venues. It is particularly effective in travel planning scenarios where users need to compare restaurant options in a new city or find fitness facilities near their hotel.

Example Prompts

1. "Find me a highly-rated cafe in Soho that is open right now and not too expensive."
2. "I'm looking for a restaurant in downtown Tokyo with a rating over 4.5. Can you show me a few options?"
3. "Search for gyms near my current location that are open late tonight."

Tips & Limitations

To ensure optimal performance, always resolve vague locations first before triggering a search. Remember that the filters.types parameter supports only one type per request, so be specific with your intent. For pagination, utilize the next_page_token provided in the API response to retrieve additional results. Keep in mind that this skill requires an active internet connection to contact the Google Places API and depends heavily on the accuracy of the provided API key and the validity of your local proxy server configuration.