SerpAPI - Unified Search
SerpAPI provides structured data from Google, Amazon, Yelp, OpenTable, and 20+ other search engines through a single API.
Setup
- Get an API key from https://serpapi.com (free tier: 100 searches/month)
- Set environment variable:
export SERPAPI_API_KEY=your-key-here
- Optionally set default location in
<workspace>/TOOLS.md
:
## SerpAPI
Default location: Pittsburgh, PA
Usage
# General syntax
<skill>/scripts/serp.py <engine> "<query>" [options]
Examples
serp.py google "best coffee shops"
serp.py google_maps "restaurants near me" --location "15238"
serp.py amazon "mechanical keyboard" --num 10
serp.py yelp "pizza" --location "New York, NY"
serp.py google_shopping "standing desk"
Engines
| Engine | Use for | Key features |
|---|
google
| General web search | Organic results, knowledge graph, local pack |
google_maps
| Local places/businesses | Ratings, reviews, hours, GPS coordinates |
google_shopping
| Product search | Prices, merchants, reviews |
google_images
| Image search | Thumbnails, sources |
google_news
| News articles | Headlines, sources, dates |
amazon
| Amazon products | Prices, ratings, reviews, Prime status |
yelp
| Local businesses | Reviews, ratings, categories |
opentable
| Restaurant reviews | Dining reviews, ratings |
walmart
| Walmart products | Prices, availability |
ebay
| eBay listings | Prices, bids, conditions |
tripadvisor
| Travel/attractions | Hotels, restaurants, things to do |
Options
| Option | Description |
|---|
--location
, -l
| Location for local results (city, zip, address) |
--num
, -n
| Number of results (default: 10) |
--format
, -f
| Output format: json
(default) or text
|
--type
, -t
| Google search type: shop
, isch
, nws
, vid
|
--page
, -p
| Page number for pagination |
--gl
| Country code (e.g., us
, uk
, de
) |
--hl
| Language code (e.g., en
, es
, fr
) |
When to Use Which Engine
Finding local businesses/restaurants:
google_maps
— Best for discovering places, hours, reviewsyelp
— Deep reviews and ratings for restaurants/servicesopentable
— Restaurant-specific, dining reviews
Shopping/Products:
google_shopping
— Compare prices across merchantsamazon
— Amazon-specific search with Prime infowalmart
— Walmart inventory and pricesebay
— Used items, auctions, collectibles
General research:
google
— Web pages, articles, general infogoogle_news
— Current events, news articlesgoogle_images
— Finding images
Examples
Find restaurants near a location
serp.py google_maps "italian restaurants" --location "Pittsburgh, PA" --num 5
Compare product prices
serp.py google_shopping "sony wh-1000xm5" --num 10
Check Amazon reviews and pricing
serp.py amazon "standing desk" --num 10
Get Yelp reviews for local services
serp.py yelp "plumber" --location "15238"
Search news on a topic
serp.py google_news "AI regulation" --num 5
Output Formats
JSON (default): Full structured data from SerpAPI. Best for programmatic use or when you need all details.
Text (--format text
): Human-readable summary. Best for quick answers.
Integration Notes
- Results are structured JSON — parse and extract what you need
- Local results include GPS coordinates for mapping
- Shopping results include extracted prices for comparison
- Knowledge graph provides entity information when available
- Rate limits: 100/month on free tier, check your plan at serpapi.com/dashboard
