diff --git a/scripts/package-boundaries.json b/scripts/package-boundaries.json
index 20f6c0b85..8992a2dbc 100644
--- a/scripts/package-boundaries.json
+++ b/scripts/package-boundaries.json
@@ -5081,7 +5081,8 @@
       "src/layers/alpr/records.js",
       "src/layers/alpr/tileRecords.js",
       "src/sources/infrastructureData.js",
-      "src/sources/eventPacks.js"
+      "src/sources/eventPacks.js",
+      "src/keylessGeocoder.js"
     ],
     "external": ["@mapbox/vector-tile", "pbf"]
   },
diff --git a/src/tools/places.js b/src/tools/places.js
index 4a715f389..c946f8fe7 100644
--- a/src/tools/places.js
+++ b/src/tools/places.js
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ export function createGeocodePlaceService({
   cacheMs = 10 * 60_000,
   timeoutMs = 15_000,
   now = () => Date.now(),
+  keylessGeocoder = null,
 } = {}) {
   // Recent answers by name, so tools that combine others resolve a place to
   // the same point once instead of once per section. A pending lookup is
@@ -33,8 +34,17 @@ export function createGeocodePlaceService({
   async function lookup(name, signal) {
     const query = new URLSearchParams({ q: name });
     const response = await fetchImpl(`/api/geocode?${query}`, { signal });
+    const payload = await response.json().catch(() => null);
+    // No server geocoder (no Google key, no Nominatim): ask the keyless one
+    // the search box uses, rather than reporting every name as unmatched.
+    if (
+      keylessGeocoder &&
+      (payload?.configured === false || payload?.code === 'NOMINATIM_DISABLED')
+    ) {
+      const { place } = await keylessGeocoder.geocode(name, { signal });
+      return place ? placeFromKeylessResult(place) : null;
+    }
     if (!response.ok) throw new Error(`Geocode HTTP ${response.status}`);
-    const payload = await response.json();
     return placeFromGeocodeResult(payload?.results?.[0]);
   }
   function start(key, name) {
@@ -100,6 +110,14 @@ export function createGeocodePlaceService({
 }
 
 /** Convert one geocode result to a place with bounds, or null. */
+/** A keyless (Photon) answer in the same shape as a geocode result's. */
+function placeFromKeylessResult({ lat, lng, label, name, viewport }) {
+  return placeFromGeocodeResult({
+    formatted_address: label || name || null,
+    geometry: { location: { lat, lng }, ...(viewport ? { viewport } : {}) },
+  });
+}
+
 export function placeFromGeocodeResult(result) {
   const location = result?.geometry?.location;
   if (!Number.isFinite(location?.lat) || !Number.isFinite(location?.lng))
diff --git a/src/tools/places.test.mjs b/src/tools/places.test.mjs
index f4391269a..3ed957606 100644
--- a/src/tools/places.test.mjs
+++ b/src/tools/places.test.mjs
@@ -93,3 +93,49 @@ test('a shared lookup outlives one cancelled caller, and times out on its own',
   await places.resolve('Slow').catch(() => {});
   assert.equal(signals.length, 3, 'a timed-out lookup is not cached');
 });
+
+test('without a server geocoder, names resolve through the keyless geocoder', async () => {
+  const asked = [];
+  const places = createGeocodePlaceService({
+    fetchImpl: async () =>
+      Response.json(
+        {
+          error: 'Place search is not configured',
+          code: 'NOMINATIM_DISABLED',
+          retryable: false,
+        },
+        { status: 503 },
+      ),
+    keylessGeocoder: {
+      geocode: async (name) => {
+        asked.push(name);
+        return name === 'Paris'
+          ? {
+              place: {
+                lat: 48.8566,
+                lng: 2.3522,
+                name: 'Paris',
+                label: 'Paris, France',
+                viewport: {
+                  southwest: { lat: 48.81, lng: 2.22 },
+                  northeast: { lat: 48.9, lng: 2.47 },
+                },
+              },
+              answered: true,
+            }
+          : { place: null, answered: true };
+      },
+    },
+  });
+  const paris = await places.resolve('Paris');
+  assert.equal(paris.name, 'Paris, France');
+  assert.deepEqual(paris.point, { lat: 48.8566, lon: 2.3522 });
+  assert.deepEqual(paris.bounds, {
+    west: 2.22,
+    south: 48.81,
+    east: 2.47,
+    north: 48.9,
+  });
+  assert.equal(await places.resolve('Nowhere-at-all'), null);
+  assert.deepEqual(asked, ['Paris', 'Nowhere-at-all']);
+});
diff --git a/src/tools/services.js b/src/tools/services.js
index b0edf9f7d..1df29f08d 100644
--- a/src/tools/services.js
+++ b/src/tools/services.js
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ import {
   createVesselSource,
   createFlightSource,
 } from '../sources/live/standalone.js';
+import { createPhotonGeocoder } from '../keylessGeocoder.js';
 import {
   createGeocodePlaceService,
   createPlaceSearchService,
@@ -86,7 +87,10 @@ export function createToolServices({ fetchImpl, appUrl, panelKey }) {
       fetchImpl,
       tileFetchImpl: fetchImpl,
     }),
-    places: createGeocodePlaceService({ fetchImpl }),
+    places: createGeocodePlaceService({
+      fetchImpl,
+      keylessGeocoder: createPhotonGeocoder({ fetchImpl }),
+    }),
   };
 }