Sherlock Calls
for Google Custom Search
The best detectives never limit themselves to internal evidence. Sherlock brings Google's full web index into your investigation workspace — surfacing publicly available competitor intelligence, brand mentions, market signals, and customer research from Slack without ever breaking the chain of reasoning. When the answer isn't in your call logs, it may be one web search away.
TL;DR — What beta users get access to
- 1
Sherlock Calls connects to Google Custom Search via your Google Cloud API key and Programmable Search Engine ID (cx) — setup takes under 3 minutes and requires no code changes.
- 2
Ask 'Search the web for recent Acme Corp news' 'Find reviews of our product on G2' 'Search [competitor] pricing page' — and get structured web search results in Slack in under 5 seconds.
- 3
Sherlock supports both open web searches (googleSearch) and domain-scoped searches (googleSearchSite) — so you can investigate an entire domain or the open web from a single Slack question.
100
Free queries/day on Google Custom Search API
<3min
Time to connect Google Custom Search to Sherlock
<5s
Time to return web search results in Slack
About Google Custom Search
What is Google Custom Search?
Google Custom Search is a Google Cloud API that provides programmatic access to Google's web index. It is powered by the Programmable Search Engine (PSE) platform — formerly known as Google Custom Search Engine — and requires an API key from Google Cloud Console and a Search Engine ID (cx) from the Programmable Search Engine control panel. It supports up to 100 queries per day on the free tier and 10,000 queries per day on paid tiers, with results including titles, URLs, snippets, and structured metadata.
About Sherlock Calls
What is Sherlock Calls?
Sherlock Calls is an AI call detective that lives in your Slack workspace. It connects to voice providers, CRMs, and ad platforms, then answers any question about your calls in plain English — in under 5 seconds, with no code, no new dashboards, and no SDK required. Think of it as a senior analyst always on call, inside the tools your team already uses.
Beta Setup
Connect Google Custom Search to Sherlock in 2 minutes
No code, no webhooks, no new dashboards. Beta users get direct onboarding support.
- 1
Get your Google Cloud API key
Go to Google Cloud Console > APIs & Services > Credentials. Create or copy an API key and enable the Custom Search API for your project. Keep this key private — it authenticates all Sherlock search requests.
- 2
Create a Programmable Search Engine
Visit programmablesearchengine.google.com and create a new search engine. For open web search, enable 'Search the entire web'. Copy your Search Engine ID (cx) — it looks like a 17-character alphanumeric string.
- 3
Add credentials in Sherlock
Enter your Google Cloud API key and Search Engine ID (cx) in the Sherlock Calls integration settings. Sherlock validates both credentials and confirms the search engine is reachable before saving.
Beta Use Cases
What beta teams are asking Sherlock about Google Custom Search
- SC“Search the web for recent news about Acme Corp before our call with them today”
- SC“Find all G2 reviews mentioning our product's call quality this quarter”
- SC“Search [competitor].com for their current enterprise pricing page”
- SC“What has been written about AI voice assistants in Spanish media this month?”
- SC“Find publicly available contact information for the CTO of a target prospect”
Beta Features
What beta users can do with Google Custom Search
Open Web Search
Run Google searches against the entire web from Slack. Surface competitor news, market data, customer reviews, and any publicly indexed intelligence — in structured, cited results.
Site-Scoped Search
Search within a specific domain using googleSearchSite. Investigate a competitor's pricing page, search a customer's website, or find specific content within any indexed domain.
Competitor Intelligence
Research competitor positioning, pricing, and news in real time. Ask 'What has [competitor] announced this month?' and get structured search results without leaving Slack.
Brand Monitoring
Monitor brand mentions, reviews, and press coverage from Slack. Track how your product is being described across G2, Capterra, Reddit, and news sources.
Customer Research
Look up publicly available information about a customer or prospect before a call. Surface LinkedIn profiles, company news, and funding announcements as investigation context.
AI Tools
2 specialized tools, zero configuration
Sherlock picks the right tool automatically. You just ask in plain English — the AI knows which APIs to call and how to correlate the results.
Beta users get direct access to all tools below — with personal onboarding from the Sherlock team.
FAQ
Common questions about Sherlock + Google Custom Search
How does Sherlock Calls connect to Google Custom Search?
- Sherlock connects using your Google Cloud API key (from Google Cloud Console > APIs & Services > Credentials) and a Programmable Search Engine ID (cx) from programmablesearchengine.google.com. Both credentials are required — the API key authenticates the request and the cx specifies which search engine configuration to use.
What is the difference between googleSearch and googleSearchSite tools?
- googleSearch queries the full open web — equivalent to a standard Google search. googleSearchSite restricts results to a specific domain you specify (e.g., site:competitor.com) — useful for researching a single website or monitoring a domain without off-topic results.
How many Google Custom Search queries does Sherlock use?
- Each Sherlock question that invokes a web search uses 1 Google Custom Search query. The free tier allows 100 queries per day; the paid tier (via Google Cloud billing) allows up to 10,000 queries per day at $5 per 1,000 queries.
Can Sherlock combine Google Search results with call data in one investigation?
- Yes. When Google Custom Search is connected alongside a voice provider, Sherlock can build investigations that combine live call data with web intelligence — for example, surface call volume anomalies and simultaneously search for public news that might explain them.
Is Google Custom Search different from the Google Search Console API?
- Yes. Google Custom Search (Programmable Search Engine API) queries the open web and returns public search results. Google Search Console API provides performance data about your own website in Google's index. Sherlock uses Custom Search for external research and intelligence gathering, not site performance analysis.
Apply for early access to Sherlock + Google Custom Search
We're accepting a select group of beta users to shape the Google Custom Search integration. Tell us about your stack and we'll reach out personally if you're a fit.
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