check charger availbility

Check EV charger availability (favorites, nearby search) via Google Places.

Security Scan

The skill's stated purpose (checking EV charger availability via Google Places) matches the code's behavior, but there are notable incoherences: the SKILL.md declares a required GOOGLE_PLACES_API_KEY and a Node 'bin/charger' CLI, yet the published bundle does not include that CLI and the registry metadata does not list the env var — this mismatch could break runtime behavior or hide missing/undocumented installation steps.

Purpose & Capability

The skill's purpose (Google Places EV data) legitimately requires a GOOGLE_PLACES_API_KEY; SKILL.md lists that requirement and state dirs (.cache). However the registry summary for this published skill claims no required env vars or config paths — an inconsistency. Also SKILL.md says the bundle includes a Node.js CLI 'bin/charger', but that file is not present in the bundle. These mismatches mean the skill as published is incomplete or improperly declared.

Instruction Scope

The runtime instructions and the provided script stay within the expected scope: they run 'charger check <target>', parse its stdout for availability, and record per-target state in ~/.cache/charger-notify. The script does not attempt to read unrelated system files or exfiltrate data. It does assume a 'charger' CLI on PATH and writes state files under the user's home directory.

Install Mechanism

There is no install spec (instruction-only), which is low risk in principle. However SKILL.md claims a 'bin/charger' CLI (Node.js) that is not included in the bundle. The instructions expect the user to place/link that CLI at /home/claw/clawd/bin/charger, but no source or install guidance for the CLI is provided. Missing actual CLI files or a clear install step is a practical problem and raises trust questions about where to obtain that executable.

Credentials

The only sensitive item referenced in SKILL.md is GOOGLE_PLACES_API_KEY, which is appropriate for a Google Places-based charger checker. The provided script itself does not read arbitrary env vars. The concern is that the registry metadata omitted this required env var, and SKILL.md suggests storing the key in ~/.clawdbot/.env — the discrepancy should be resolved so users know what credentials are required and how they are consumed (by the missing CLI).

Persistence & Privilege

The skill does not request always:true, does not modify other skills or system-wide configs, and only writes small state files under ~/.cache/charger-notify. That level of persistence is reasonable for a notification helper.

What to consider before installing

Before installing or enabling this skill: 1) Be aware the bundle does NOT include the claimed 'bin/charger' Node CLI — ask the publisher for the CLI source or a trusted install method (npm package, GitHub release, etc.). Do not place an untrusted binary on your PATH. 2) The SKILL.md requires a GOOGLE_PLACES_API_KEY (appropriate for this purpose); confirm the registry metadata is updated and limit the API key's scope/quotas. 3) The helper script writes state files to ~/.cache/charger-notify and expects the CLI at /home/claw/clawd/bin — verify and agree with these paths before wiring to cron or Telegram. 4) If you plan to wire notifications into a gateway/Telegram, verify the sender component (cron-to-Telegram) and ensure secrets (bot tokens) are stored securely and are not requested by this skill. 5) If you want higher assurance, request the missing CLI code or an install manifest and re-run the evaluation; the current inconsistencies justify caution.

charger

Higher-level EV charger checker built on Google Places (New) EV charge data.

This skill includes a bin/charger CLI (Node.js) for checking charger availability.

Setup

• Requirements:

  • Node.js 18+ (Clawdbot already has Node)
  • GOOGLE_PLACES_API_KEY (recommended in ~/.clawdbot/.env)

• Put the CLI on your PATH (example):

  • ln -sf "$(pwd)"/bin/charger /home/claw/clawd/bin/charger

• Add a favorite:

  • charger favorites add home --place-id <placeId>

Commands

• Check a favorite / place id / query:

  • charger check home
  • charger check "Wien Energie Charging Station Liniengasse 2 1060 Wien"

• Find nearby:

  • charger nearby --lat 48.188472 --lng 16.348854 --radius 2000 --max 10

Notifications

The recommended pattern is:

1. charger (this skill) produces a clear Any free: YES|NO result.
2. A scheduled job (Gateway cron) runs a small helper that only prints output when it should notify.

Helper script (what actually decides to notify)

This bundle includes scripts/charger-notify.sh.

What it does:

• Runs charger check <target>
• If Any free: YES and the last run was not YES, it prints a single notification line.
• Otherwise it prints nothing.

So: no output = no notification.

State:

• Stores last state in ~/.cache/charger-notify/<target>.state so it only notifies on the change NO/UNKNOWN → YES.

Usage:

• bash scripts/charger-notify.sh home

Example notification output:

• EV charger available: Tanke Wien Energie Charging Station — Amtshausgasse 9, 1050 Wien, Austria — 1/2 available (OOS 0) (updated 2026-01-21T21:05:00Z)

Typical cron schedule (how you actually get Telegram pings)

Cron is the scheduler. It runs the helper script on a timer and sends you whatever the script prints. Because the helper prints only when it becomes available, you only get messages when it matters.

Check every 10 minutes:

• */10 * * * *

If you want me to wire this into Clawdbot Gateway cron (so you get Telegram pings), tell me:

• target (home)
• interval (every 5/10/20 min)
• quiet hours (optional)