google-maps-scraper

---
name: google-maps-scraper
description: Google Maps scraper for lead generation. Turns a business type and a place into a clean CSV of local businesses by driving the gosom/google-maps-scraper engine, running locally in Docker as a REST API on localhost:8080. Returns 8 lead fields by default (name, phone, email, website, category, address, rating and review count), plus optional Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn profiles or all ~34 raw fields. Use when the user wants a lead list, "a list of [businesses] in [place]", local business data, contact enrichment for places (emails, phones, socials), or a whole-city run past Google's ~120 results per search. Do not use for scraping Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, X or any other social media platform directly.
---

# Google Maps Scraper

Turn a business type and a location into clean lead rows by driving the local engine's job API.

## Mental model
The engine (gosom/google-maps-scraper) runs as a local Docker container with a REST API at
`http://localhost:8080`. It has no auth, so it stays bound to localhost. A scrape is an **async job**:
create it, poll until it is done, then download a CSV. One job can run many keywords. Each result has
up to **34 raw fields**.

## Step 0: Check the engine is running
```bash
curl -s http://localhost:8080/api/v1/jobs >/dev/null 2>&1 && echo UP || echo DOWN
```
If `DOWN`: run `docker compose up -d` from the kit root, wait ~10s, and retry. If Docker is not
installed, point the user to `SETUP.md`.

## Step 1: Create a job (`POST /api/v1/jobs`)
**Required fields. The API returns `422` without them:**
- `keywords`: array of search strings. **Bake the location into each term**: `"plumbers in Denver CO"`.
- `lat`, `lon`: **strings**, the city's coordinates: `"39.7392"`, `"-104.9903"`.
- `max_time`: integer **seconds**, the job's wall-clock limit, e.g. `300`. The API stores it as
  nanoseconds internally, but you always send seconds.

**Recommended fields:**
- `depth` (default 10): how far to scroll, so roughly how many listings per keyword. Start at `5`.
- `lang` `"en"`, `zoom` `15` (city level), `radius` `10000` (meters), `fast_mode` `false`.
- **`email` `true`: on by default in the kit.** Emails are the most valuable lead field. The engine
  visits each business website to find them, which is a little slower. Set `false` only for a
  deliberately fast run without emails.

```bash
curl -s -X POST http://localhost:8080/api/v1/jobs \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"name":"job","keywords":["coffee shops in Austin TX"],"lang":"en","zoom":15,
       "lat":"30.2672","lon":"-97.7431","fast_mode":false,"radius":10000,
       "depth":5,"email":true,"max_time":300}'
# → {"id":"<uuid>"}   (HTTP 201; note: lowercase "id")
```

> **Handle two things on every scrape:**
> 1. **Emails: on by default** (`email:true`). Turn them off only if the user wants a fast run.
> 2. **Socials: ask first.** Before creating the job, ask the user once whether they also want
>    Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn profiles (see "Social profiles" below). Never skip the question silently.

## Step 2: Poll until done (`GET /api/v1/jobs/{id}`)
The response field is `"Status"` (capital S). It moves from `working` to `ok` (success) or `failed`.

> **Harness rule:** the Bash tool **blocks foreground `sleep`**. Run the poll loop as a
> **background** Bash command (`run_in_background: true`) and read its output file when notified.
> Never poll with a foreground `sleep`.

Background poll snippet. It parses the value safely: match up to the closing quote, do not anchor on `$`.
```bash
ID="<uuid>"
for i in $(seq 1 40); do
  S=$(curl -s "http://localhost:8080/api/v1/jobs/$ID" | grep -oE '"Status":"[^"]*"' | head -1 | cut -d'"' -f4)
  echo "status=$S"
  [ "$S" = ok ] && { echo DONE; break; }
  [ "$S" = failed ] && { echo FAILED; break; }
  sleep 15
done
```

## Step 3: Download and parse (`GET /api/v1/jobs/{id}/download`)
```bash
curl -s "http://localhost:8080/api/v1/jobs/$ID/download" -o results.csv
```
CSV columns (34): `input_id, link, title, category, address, open_hours, popular_times, website, phone,
plus_code, review_count, review_rating, reviews_per_rating, latitude, longitude, cid, status,
descriptions, reviews_link, thumbnail, timezone, price_range, data_id, place_id, images, reservations,
order_online, menu, owner, complete_address, about, user_reviews, user_reviews_extended, emails`.

### Return only the 8 lead fields (default)
The raw CSV has 34 columns and most are noise for outreach. **By default, return only the 8 lead
fields**, the data used to contact and qualify a lead, and **drop everything else**:

> `title` (name), `phone`, `emails`, `website`, `category`, `address`, `review_rating`, `review_count`

**Drop by default.** Show these only if the user explicitly asks: `latitude`/`longitude` (no use for
outreach), `link`, `plus_code`, `cid`, `data_id`, `place_id`, `open_hours`, `popular_times`,
`reviews_per_rating`, `reviews_link`, `thumbnail`, `images`, `timezone`, `price_range`, `status`,
`input_id`, `complete_address`, `reservations`, `order_online`, `menu`, `owner`, `about`, `descriptions`,
`user_reviews`, `user_reviews_extended`.

`scripts/scrape.py` already returns exactly the 8 lead fields. Use `--full` to keep all columns, or
`--fields "a,b,c"` to choose your own. It **saves a CSV file by default** (`results-<id>.csv`); pass
`--json` for JSON. If you call the API directly, **strip to the lead fields yourself** before
presenting. Never dump the full 34-column row at the user.

### Social profiles: always ask the user (Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn)
Google Maps has no social links, so socials are an enrichment step: visit each business `website` and
regex out its Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn URLs. **Before scraping, ask the user once** whether they
want socials too, unless they already said. If yes, **use the script:** `python3 scripts/scrape.py … --socials`.

- **Token cost. Tell the user this when they ask for socials:** the extraction itself costs **0 LLM
  tokens**, because it is plain HTTP and regex in the script. It adds **~40–50 tokens per business** to
  *your* context only **if** you load the rows into chat, e.g. ~+2k tokens for 50 leads. That is
  negligible if you keep the file on disk and show a sample. Save the file and show a few rows.
- **Do not** fetch each website yourself with WebFetch to find socials. That reads every page into your
  context and costs **thousands of tokens**. The script does it for free, so always prefer `--socials`.
- Socials are **opt-in and slower** (one HTTP fetch per business), and coverage is partial (~40–70%).
  Only businesses that link their socials on their site have them, and no website means no socials.
  Say so if the user expects 100%.

**Shortcuts. Prefer these for common cases:**
- One keyword: `scripts/scrape.sh "<keyword>" <lat> <lon> [depth]` (bash) creates, polls and downloads in one go.
- Auto-geocode (no coordinates): `python3 scripts/scrape.py "<keyword>" --city "<City, ST>" [--depth N]`
  resolves lat/lon via OpenStreetMap Nominatim. You can also geocode the city yourself and pass coordinates.
  **Emails come back by default** (`--no-email` skips them). Add `--socials` if the user asked for socials.
- **Batch (many keywords, one job):** `python3 scripts/scrape.py --keywords-file <file> --city "<City, ST>"`.
  The API takes a `keywords` array, so put all terms in a single job rather than firing many jobs.
Use the manual curl flow only for custom job bodies, e.g. to set `proxies`.

**Whole-city runs:** when the user says all, every or entire city, or a run returns about 120 rows
(Google's per-search cap), use `python3 scripts/scrape.py "<keyword>" --city "<City, ST>" --grid 3`.
It splits the city into 3 x 3 tiles (9 jobs) and dedupes on `place_id`. Tiles run one at a time, so a
grid is slower and more likely to trip rate limits: warn once, don't block.

**Deep email pass:** on by default whenever emails are on. Rows with a website but no email get their
contact and about pages checked, and the script prints the found rate. `--no-deep-emails` skips it.

## Other endpoints
- `GET /api/v1/jobs` lists jobs. `DELETE /api/v1/jobs/{id}` deletes a job and frees disk.
- Browser UI and OpenAPI docs: `http://localhost:8080` and `http://localhost:8080/api/docs`.

## Best practices (from the upstream docs)
- **Depth:** higher `depth` returns more results but is slower and more likely to be blocked. Start at 5
  and raise it as needed.
- **One job at a time** locally. Many concurrent jobs without proxies lead to throttling by Google.
- **Email extraction (`email:true`)** visits each business website, so it is slower. It stays **on by
  default** because emails are the key lead field. Pass `--no-email` (script) or `email:false` (raw API)
  for a fast run.
- **`fast_mode:true`** returns reduced data, up to ~21 results per query, faster. Use it for quick lookups.
- **Proxies:** for large or repeated jobs, set `"proxies"` (an array of `socks5://`, `http://` or
  `https://` URLs, auth supported). The engine rotates them. This is the main defense against rate limits.
- **`zoom` and `radius`** set the search area around `lat`/`lon`. Widen `radius` if results are too few.
- **Extended reviews** are available but heavy. Enable them only if the user asks for review text.

## Rate limits, blocks and proxies (read before large jobs)
The engine sends real requests to Google Maps. The upstream project's only formal note is a disclaimer:
> "Please use this scraper responsibly and in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. Unauthorized scraping may violate terms of service."

There is **no published hard threshold** for blocks, so stay conservative:
- Google may **temporarily rate-limit your IP** if you scrape too fast or too much. It clears in
  minutes to hours and does **not** affect the user's Google account, but jobs fail in the meantime.
- **Block signals:** jobs returning `failed`, empty or unusually short results, or a sudden drop in
  row count against an identical earlier run. When you see them, **back off** (pause, lower depth) or add proxies.
- **Concurrency and blocking** (upstream): *"Higher concurrency … can increase blocking or failures,
  especially without proxies. Start with the default for a first run."* Reference throughput is about
  **120 places/min** at `-c 8 -depth 1`. Locally, run **one job at a time** and start at `depth 5`.

**When to add proxies** (upstream: *"For larger scraping jobs, proxies help avoid rate limiting"*):
large jobs, many keywords, repeated or scheduled runs, or after you see block signals.
- Set the `"proxies"` array in the job body. Types: `socks5`, `socks5h`, `http`, `https`.
- Format: `protocol://user:pass@host:port` (auth optional), e.g.
  `"proxies": ["socks5://user:pass@host:port", "http://host2:port2"]`. The engine rotates them automatically.

## Safety and guardrails
- **Warn, don't block.** When a request is large (high `depth`, many keywords, repeated runs, a grid, or
  `email:true`), **proceed with it**, but first print ONE short warning about temporary IP rate limits and
  suggest proxies. Do **not** gate, force-stop or demand confirmation because a normal scrape is big.
  Refuse outright **only** for clearly abusive or illegal use (surveilling individuals, spam, harassment).
- **Never expose** the API beyond `localhost` without an auth proxy. Never print an API key if one exists.
- **Personal data:** scraped emails and phones are personal data. If the user will store or contact them,
  remind them to follow GDPR, CCPA and CAN-SPAM (lawful basis, opt-outs, suppression). Do not help with
  spam or harassment.
- **Google's Terms of Service:** scraping Google Maps is against them. Keep volume modest, treat output as
  leads to verify, and do not resell raw Google data. Refuse uses aimed at surveilling individuals.
- **Output hygiene:** do not dump large CSVs into chat. Save the file to disk, summarize the counts and
  show a few sample rows. Dedupe by `place_id`/`cid` before storing.
- **Disk:** results pile up in the Docker volume. Offer to `DELETE` old jobs from time to time.

## Troubleshooting
- `422 missing max time`: add `max_time` (seconds). `422 missing geo coordinates`: add string `lat`/`lon`.
- Stuck on `working`: lower `depth`, raise `max_time`, or the IP is throttled (add proxies or wait).
- Empty CSV: the keyword is too narrow or the coordinates are wrong. Widen `radius` or fix the coordinates.
- Connection refused: the container is down. Run `docker compose up -d`.