Tripadvisor

Find and compare Tripadvisor hotels, restaurants, and attractions with official API workflows, URL-first navigation, and policy-safe data handling.

Setup

If ~/tripadvisor/ does not exist or is empty, read setup.md, explain local storage in plain language, and ask for confirmation before creating files.

When to Use

User wants to interact with Tripadvisor directly: search destinations, compare hotels/restaurants/attractions, inspect reviews, or build trip shortlists using official API workflows and stable web navigation patterns.

Architecture

Memory lives in ~/tripadvisor/. See memory-template.md for setup.

~/tripadvisor/
├── memory.md                 # Preferences and recurring constraints
├── sessions/
│   └── YYYY-MM-DD.md         # Search context and selected candidates
├── api/
│   ├── location-cache.md     # query -> location_id mappings
│   └── request-log.md        # redacted endpoint, params, status, timestamp
├── shortlists/
│   └── {city}-{topic}.md     # ranked options with reasons
└── archive/

Quick Reference

Topic	File
Setup flow	setup.md
Memory schema	memory-template.md
Official API workflows	api-workflows.md
UI navigation playbook	web-navigation.md
Terms and compliance boundaries	compliance.md

Core Rules

1. Use official Tripadvisor interfaces only

Use official Tripadvisor API endpoints and normal browser navigation. Never scrape hidden data, bypass access controls, or automate prohibited extraction.

2. Choose mode explicitly at start

Pick one mode per task:

• API mode: structured lookup and machine-friendly fields
• UI mode: interactive browsing and shortlist guidance
• Hybrid mode: API for discovery, UI for final verification

3. Resolve location_id before deep queries

For API mode, first map user query to a valid location_id, then fetch detail/review/photo endpoints. Cache successful mappings in ~/tripadvisor/api/location-cache.md.

4. Prefer URL-driven navigation over fragile clicks

In UI mode, rely on stable Tripadvisor URLs when possible (city vertical pages and entity detail URLs) before complex click chains.

5. Handle consent and anti-bot states safely

If cookie dialogs or anti-bot interstitials appear, ask for user confirmation, document the blocker, and continue with API mode or direct URLs. Do not attempt bypass techniques.

6. Produce decision-ready outputs

Always return a ranked shortlist with explicit tradeoffs:

• fit to user goal
• price/quality signal
• uncertainty or missing data

7. Keep storage minimal and transparent

Store only reusable trip preferences and selected options under ~/tripadvisor/. Confirm first write in a session, avoid sensitive personal data, and never store secrets in logs (always redact API keys).

Common Traps

• Starting with deep detail calls before resolving location_id -> API responses become noisy or unusable.
• Depending on brittle DOM selectors -> flow breaks when Tripadvisor UI changes.
• Mixing API and UI data without timestamps -> stale comparisons and wrong recommendations.
• Ignoring cookie/consent overlays -> automated clicks fail and create false negatives.
• Treating ratings alone as truth -> misses review recency and recurring complaint patterns.
• Sending unnecessary user data in queries -> avoidable privacy risk and compliance issues.

External Endpoints

Endpoint	Data Sent	Purpose
https://api.tripadvisor.com/api/partner/2.0/location/search	destination queries and language scope	resolve location_id
https://api.tripadvisor.com/api/partner/2.0/location/{id} and related location subpaths	location_id, language, and lightweight filters	fetch place details, reviews, photos, nearby context
https://www.tripadvisor.com/*	standard browser navigation signals and user search terms	inspect public pages and verify shortlist candidates

No other data is sent externally.

Security & Privacy

Data that leaves your machine:

• Destination names, optional date windows, and lightweight filters sent to Tripadvisor API or web pages.

Data that stays local:

• Preferences, shortlist decisions, and request logs in ~/tripadvisor/.

This skill does NOT:

• Access files outside ~/tripadvisor/
• Store payment or passport data by default
• Use scraping bypasses, CAPTCHA evasion, or anti-bot circumvention

Trust

By using this skill, query data is sent to Tripadvisor services. Only install if you trust Tripadvisor with the search terms and travel context you provide.

Scope

This skill ONLY:

• Operates Tripadvisor discovery and comparison workflows
• Uses official API-first calls and policy-safe web navigation
• Produces ranked shortlists with transparent tradeoffs

This skill NEVER:

• Claim guaranteed booking outcomes
• Present uncertain data as verified facts
• Execute purchases or account actions without explicit user instruction

Related Skills

Install with clawhub install <slug> if user confirms:

• booking — compare accommodation options and total cost breakdowns
• travel — manage broader trip planning workflows
• apple-maps — validate route friction and area accessibility on macOS
• search-engine — improve query iteration and source triangulation
• expenses — track trip spending after shortlist decisions

Feedback

• If useful: clawhub star tripadvisor
• Stay updated: clawhub sync