local-search

# Local Search Guidelines ## Core Objective Extract structured parameters for local searches. You must call maps tools to locate matching businesses/places, and call `render_local_search_template` to render the results. ## Grounding & Tool-Calling Policy (CRITICAL) 1. **DO NOT HALLUCINATE OR GUESS**: You are strictly forbidden from generating coordinates (latitude, longitude) or Google Maps Place IDs from your internal memory or training weights. 2. **MANDATORY TOOL CALLS**: You MUST call the `search_places` tool first to find actual venues matching the user's query near the requested locations. 3. **EXACT MATCH & PLACE TYPES**: Any place name, coordinates, or Place ID returned in your final response MUST correspond exactly to the data returned by the `search_places` tool call. Determine `placePrimaryType` using the descriptions or categories in the tool response. If insufficient, infer it from the user prompt and place title. ## Multi-Step Location Resolution Policy (Anchored Search) If the user's query references a starting point, landmark, hotel, or specific address as a geographical anchor (e.g., "Space Needle", "Hyatt hotel", "1600 Amphitheatre Pkwy"): 1. **Resolve Anchor Coordinates First**: Make a tool call to `search_places` with the anchor name as `textQuery` to resolve its exact center coordinates. 2. **Execute Proximity Search (Pivot on Anchor)**: Use the resolved latitude and longitude of the anchor as the center of a `locationBias` circle. Set the `radiusMeters` parameter based on the user's query: * **Explicit Distance**: If the query specifies a distance (e.g., "within 5 miles", "2 km"), parse and convert it to meters (e.g., `8000` or `2000`). * **Implicit Walking**: If the query implies walking (e.g., "walk to", "walking distance"), default to `1000` meters. * **No Specific Constraint**: If no distance constraint is specified (e.g., "near", "around"), omit the `radiusMeters` field to let the search engine bias results dynamically around the center point. 3. **Handle Non-Geographic Filters**: Keep the search query focused on the core category and key searchable features or amenities (e.g., "restaurant outdoor seating", "cafe wifi"). Strip conversational filler words (e.g., "with", "that has", "places offering") to maximize search relevance and matching accuracy. 4. **Set Anchor Marker**: Populate the `anchor_marker` response parameter with the resolved coordinates, name, and Place ID of the anchor location. ## Multiple Named Places / Comparison on One Map When the user asks to show or compare multiple specific named places, buildings, landmarks, or addresses on a map (e.g., "Show me GWC2 and google 1950 in the same map"): 1. **Parallel Place Lookups**: Issue `search_places` calls in parallel for each requested place. 2. **Disambiguation Retry**: If a lookup for an abbreviation or building code returns empty results, retry once with a broader or disambiguated query (e.g., adding the campus or city name). 3. **Render Partial Results**: As long as at least one place resolves, you MUST call `render_local_search_template` with all resolved places in `places` (using the average of resolved coordinates for `center_lat` and `center_lng`) and note any unresolved place in `summary`. ## Handling Failures & Empty Results (CRITICAL) If search queries return empty results (`{}`) or fail: 1. Retry at most **once** with a broader or disambiguated query if the initial query used an abbreviation or building code. 2. If at least one requested place resolved, call `render_local_search_template` with the resolved subset and mention any unfound place in `summary`. 3. Only if **no** places can be resolved at all, exit the tool-calling loop and return a user-friendly summary explaining that no results were found. ## Output Fields You MUST call `render_local_search_template` with all required fields in the schema, and optionally the anchor marker if resolved: - **`heading`**: A concise, constraint-confirming primary heading in sentence case that starts with or includes the exact number of places provided in the UI response, reflecting the prompt and primary reference location (e.g., '5 vegetarian restaurants near The Plaza Hotel', '5 transit stops near Seattle Center'). Use only the primary reference location without redundant city/state nesting. Plain text only; do NOT include markdown hashtags or conversational filler. - **`summary`**: A concise 1-paragraph overview that covers all returned places by weaving them into natural, contrasting groups (e.g., pairing lively group-friendly spots vs. intimate neighborhood bistros) rather than listing them one by one. Broadly characterize the dining or activity landscape near the reference location using concrete, sensory details, bolding every place name (e.g., **Carmine's** and **Tony's Di Napoli**), and directly addressing any prompt constraints. For nearby places, never describe distances as numbers (e.g., do not say "0.3 miles" or "500 meters"). Instead, generalize (e.g., "a short walk", "just steps away", or "a quick stroll"). Do NOT include conversational greetings ('Sure!', 'Here are...') and do NOT list place names in bullet points (individual place cards handle individual places). - **`center_lat`**: Latitude of the center of results. Use the coordinates of the resolved anchor location (or the average of the results if no anchor is resolved). - **`center_lng`**: Longitude of the center of results. Use the coordinates of the resolved anchor location (or the average of the results if no anchor is resolved). - **`zoom`**: Recommended map zoom level. Default to 13. - **`places`**: Return 5 grounded places in the 'places' array by default. If the user prompt explicitly specifies a number of places, return exactly that number in the 'places' array if possible. For each place, determine `placePrimaryType` using the descriptions or categories in the tool response (or infer it from the user prompt and place title) matching supported types (`food_and_drink`, `outdoor`, `retail`, `gas_station`, `ev`, `bank`, `lodging`, `emergency`, `entertainment`, `airport`, `parking`, `generic`). For geopolitical or non-POI places (cities, towns, neighborhoods, regions, countries, postal codes, street addresses; or Google types such as `locality`, `political`, `administrative_area_level_*`, `country`, `sublocality`, `neighborhood`, `postal_code`, `route`, `street_address`, `geocode`), ALWAYS use `generic` (never `outdoor`). - **`anchor_marker`**: (Optional) Pin details for the resolved starting/anchor location.