> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.lobstr.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Update Settings
> Configure the Google Maps Reviews Scraper parameters
Configure the scraper parameters to control how reviews are collected. These settings determine sorting, filtering, and what data is extracted.
## Headers
Your API authentication token. Value: `Token YOUR_API_KEY`
Request body format. Value: `application/json`
## Scraper Parameters
Set these parameters in the `params` object:
| Parameter | Type | Default | Description |
| -------------------------------------- | ------- | ----------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **sort\_by** | string | newest | Sort reviews: `newest`, `most_relevant`, `highest_rating`, or `lowest_rating` |
| **fetch\_since** | string | null | Stop scraping when items older than this threshold are reached (based on `modified_at_datetime`). Use a relative duration (24h, 7d, 2w) or an absolute date (YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS) |
| **fetch\_since\_timezone** | string | null | Timezone for interpreting an absolute `fetch_since` date (e.g. `Europe/Paris`). Only applies when `fetch_since` is an absolute date — ignored for relative values like `24h` or `7d`. See [supported timezones](/docs/timezones). |
| **max\_results** | integer | null | Maximum number of reviews to collect per place |
| **max\_unique\_results\_per\_run** | integer | null | Maximum unique results across all tasks in the entire run |
| **skip\_reviews\_without\_text** | boolean | false | Skip reviews that have no text content |
| **skip\_reviews\_without\_image** | boolean | false | Skip reviews that have no attached pictures |
| **rating\_filter** | string | All | Filter reviews by star rating. `All` keeps every review; `Minimum rating` keeps only reviews at or above `min_rating_score`; `Exact rating` keeps only reviews matching `min_rating_score` exactly |
| **min\_rating\_score** | integer | null | Minimum star rating to include (1–5). Used when `rating_filter` is `Minimum rating` or `Exact rating` |
| **max\_rating\_score** | integer | null | Maximum star rating to include (1–5). Used with `min_rating_score` to define a range |
| **language** | string | English (United States) | Language for extracted reviews |
| **review\_origin** | string | All sources | Filter reviews by source. `All sources` collects Google reviews and aggregator reviews. Pass a specific aggregator name to filter to that source only |
| **functions.get\_short\_review\_link** | boolean | false | Collect shortened review links (1 credit per review) |
## Squid Settings
You can also configure general squid settings:
| Setting | Type | Description |
| --------------------------- | ------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **name** | string | Name for your squid configuration |
| **concurrency** | integer | Number of parallel scraping workers (1-10) |
| **export\_unique\_results** | boolean | Only export unique results (deduplicated) |
| **run\_notify** | string | When to send notifications: `on_success`, `on_failure`, `always`, `never` |
| **timezone** | string | Timezone for timestamps (e.g., `Europe/Paris`) |
Use `sort_by: newest` to monitor recent reviews for reputation management.
Set `fetch_since` to limit results to recent reviews only, reducing processing time and costs.
Enabling `functions.get_short_review_link` costs 1 credit per review. Only enable if you need shortened URLs.
**Backward compatibility:** The old function name `short_link` is still accepted but deprecated. Migrate to `get_short_review_link`.
Changes take effect on the next run. Running jobs use the settings from when they started.
## Code Examples
```bash cURL theme={null}
curl -X POST "https://api.lobstr.io/v1/squids/b6ab0f03b02e472a8e2ab0b16b4fdd0f" \
-H "Authorization: Token YOUR_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"name": "Restaurant Reviews Paris",
"concurrency": 1,
"export_unique_results": true,
"run_notify": "on_success",
"timezone": "Europe/Paris",
"params": {
"sort_by": "newest",
"fetch_since": null,
"max_results": 20,
"skip_reviews_without_text": false,
"skip_reviews_without_image": false,
"rating_filter": "All",
"language": "English (United States)",
"functions": {
"get_short_review_link": false
}
}
}'
```
```python Python theme={null}
import requests
API_KEY = "YOUR_API_KEY"
BASE_URL = "https://api.lobstr.io/v1"
headers = {"Authorization": f"Token {API_KEY}"}
squid_id = "b6ab0f03b02e472a8e2ab0b16b4fdd0f"
# Configure scraper settings
response = requests.post(f"{BASE_URL}/squids/{squid_id}",
headers=headers,
json={
"name": "Restaurant Reviews Paris",
"concurrency": 1,
"export_unique_results": True,
"run_notify": "on_success",
"timezone": "Europe/Paris",
"params": {
"sort_by": "newest",
"fetch_since": None,
"max_results": 20,
"skip_reviews_without_text": False,
"skip_reviews_without_image": False,
"rating_filter": "All",
"language": "English (United States)",
"functions": {
"get_short_review_link": False
}
}
}
)
data = response.json()
print(f"Settings updated: {data['name']}")
print(f"Sort by: {data['params']['sort_by']}")
print(f"Max results: {data['params']['max_results']}")
```
## Response
```json 201 theme={null}
{
"name": "Restaurant Reviews Paris",
"no_line_breaks": true,
"params": {
"sort_by": "newest",
"fetch_since": null,
"max_results": 20,
"skip_reviews_without_text": false,
"skip_reviews_without_image": false,
"rating_filter": "All",
"language": "English (United States)",
"functions": {
"get_short_review_link": false
}
},
"to_complete": false,
"run_notify": "on_success",
"export_unique_results": true
}
```