app/components/app-header.gjs

@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ import SearchBox from '#components/search-box';
 import CategoryChips from '#components/category-chips';
 import { and } from 'ember-truth-helpers';
 import cachedImage from '../modifiers/cached-image';
-import { POI_CATEGORIES } from '../utils/poi-categories';
+import { getCategoryById } from '../utils/poi-categories';
 
 export default class AppHeaderComponent extends Component {
   @service storage;
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ export default class AppHeaderComponent extends Component {
     if (qp?.q) {
       this.searchQuery = qp.q;
     } else if (qp?.category) {
-      const category = POI_CATEGORIES.find((c) => c.id === qp.category);
+      const category = getCategoryById(qp.category);
       this.searchQuery = category ? category.label : qp.category;
     } else {
       this.searchQuery = '';

app/components/map.gjs

@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ import { Style, Circle, Fill, Stroke, Icon } from 'ol/style.js';
 import { apply } from 'ol-mapbox-style';
 import { getIcon } from '../utils/icons';
 import { getIconNameForTags } from '../utils/osm-icons';
+import { NEARBY_CATEGORY } from '../utils/poi-categories';
 
 export default class MapComponent extends Component {
   @service osm;
@@ -1369,7 +1370,7 @@ export default class MapComponent extends Component {
       lat: lat.toFixed(6),
       lon: lon.toFixed(6),
       q: null, // Clear q to force spatial search
-      category: null, // Clear category to force spatial search
+      category: NEARBY_CATEGORY.id, // Represent nearby as a first-class category
       selected: selectedFeatureName || null,
     };
 

app/components/places-sidebar.gjs

@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import PlaceDetails from './place-details';
 import Icon from './icon';
 import humanizeOsmTag from '../helpers/humanize-osm-tag';
 import { getLocalizedName, getPlaceType } from '../utils/osm';
+import { NEARBY_CATEGORY } from '../utils/poi-categories';
 import restoreScroll from '../modifiers/restore-scroll';
 
 export default class PlacesSidebar extends Component {
@@ -150,7 +151,11 @@ export default class PlacesSidebar extends Component {
 
   get isNearbySearch() {
     const qp = this.router.currentRoute.queryParams;
-    return !qp.q && !qp.category && qp.lat && qp.lon;
+    // New searches use ?category=nearby; keep supporting legacy lat/lon-only URLs
+    return (
+      qp.category === NEARBY_CATEGORY.id ||
+      (!qp.q && !qp.category && qp.lat && qp.lon)
+    );
   }
 
   get hasHeaderPhoto() {

app/components/search-box.gjs

@@ -270,6 +270,7 @@ export default class SearchBoxComponent extends Component {
             (or
               (eq this.mapUi.loadingState.type "text")
               (eq this.mapUi.loadingState.type "category")
+              (eq this.mapUi.loadingState.type "nearby")
             )
           }}
             <Icon @name="loading-ring" @size={{20}} />

app/controllers/search.js

@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import Controller from '@ember/controller';
 import { service } from '@ember/service';
 import { task } from 'ember-concurrency';
 import { getDistance } from '../utils/geo';
+import { NEARBY_CATEGORY } from '../utils/poi-categories';
 
 export default class SearchController extends Controller {
   @service osm;
@@ -19,6 +20,40 @@ export default class SearchController extends Controller {
   selected = null;
   category = null;
 
+  async fetchNearbyPois(lat, lon) {
+    const searchRadius = 50;
+
+    // Fetch POIs from Overpass
+    let pois = await this.osm.getNearbyPois(lat, lon, searchRadius);
+
+    // Get cached/saved places in search radius
+    const localMatches = this.storage.savedPlaces.filter((p) => {
+      const dist = getDistance(lat, lon, p.lat, p.lon);
+      return dist <= searchRadius;
+    });
+
+    // Merge local matches
+    localMatches.forEach((local) => {
+      const exists = pois.find(
+        (poi) =>
+          (local.osmId && poi.osmId === local.osmId) ||
+          (poi.id && poi.id === local.id)
+      );
+
+      if (!exists) {
+        pois.push(local);
+      }
+    });
+
+    // Sort by distance from the search center
+    return pois
+      .map((p) => ({
+        ...p,
+        _distance: getDistance(lat, lon, p.lat, p.lon),
+      }))
+      .sort((a, b) => a._distance - b._distance);
+  }
+
   fetchResultsTask = task({ restartable: true }, async (params) => {
     // 1. Check if the incoming parameters match our currently loaded search
     const isSameSearch =
@@ -50,8 +85,22 @@ export default class SearchController extends Controller {
     let loadingValue = null;
 
     try {
-      // Case 0: Category Search (category parameter present)
-      if (params.category && lat && lon) {
+      // Case 0: Nearby Search (map click or ?category=nearby)
+      const isNearbySearch =
+        lat &&
+        lon &&
+        !params.q &&
+        (!params.category || params.category === NEARBY_CATEGORY.id);
+
+      if (isNearbySearch) {
+        loadingType = 'nearby';
+        loadingValue = 'nearby';
+        this.mapUi.startLoading(loadingType, loadingValue);
+
+        pois = await this.fetchNearbyPois(lat, lon);
+      }
+      // Case 1: Category Search (category parameter present)
+      else if (params.category && lat && lon) {
         loadingType = 'category';
         loadingValue = params.category;
         this.mapUi.startLoading(loadingType, loadingValue);
@@ -88,7 +137,7 @@ export default class SearchController extends Controller {
           }))
           .sort((a, b) => a._distance - b._distance);
       }
-      // Case 1: Text Search (q parameter present)
+      // Case 2: Text Search (q parameter present)
       else if (params.q) {
         loadingType = 'text';
         loadingValue = params.q;
@@ -121,43 +170,6 @@ export default class SearchController extends Controller {
           }
         });
       }
-      // Case 2: Nearby Search (lat/lon present, no q)
-      else if (lat && lon) {
-        // Nearby search does NOT trigger loading state (pulse is used instead)
-        const searchRadius = 50; // Default radius
-
-        // Fetch POIs from Overpass
-        pois = await this.osm.getNearbyPois(lat, lon, searchRadius);
-
-        // Get cached/saved places in search radius
-        const localMatches = this.storage.savedPlaces.filter((p) => {
-          const dist = getDistance(lat, lon, p.lat, p.lon);
-          return dist <= searchRadius;
-        });
-
-        // Merge local matches
-        localMatches.forEach((local) => {
-          const exists = pois.find(
-            (poi) =>
-              (local.osmId && poi.osmId === local.osmId) ||
-              (poi.id && poi.id === local.id)
-          );
-
-          if (!exists) {
-            pois.push(local);
-          }
-        });
-
-        // Sort by distance from click
-        pois = pois
-          .map((p) => {
-            return {
-              ...p,
-              _distance: getDistance(lat, lon, p.lat, p.lon),
-            };
-          })
-          .sort((a, b) => a._distance - b._distance);
-      }
     } catch (error) {
       console.error('Search request failed.', error);
       this.toast.show('Search request failed. Please try again.');

app/services/osm.js

@@ -196,7 +196,7 @@ out center;
 
   async getCategoryPois(bounds, categoryId, lat, lon) {
     const category = getCategoryById(categoryId);
-    if (!category || !bounds) return [];
+    if (!category || !Array.isArray(category.filter) || !bounds) return [];
 
     const queryKey = lat && lon ? `cat:${categoryId}:${lat}:${lon}` : null;
 

app/utils/poi-categories.js

@@ -63,6 +63,18 @@ export const POI_CATEGORIES = [
   },
 ];
 
+// Special-cased category for spatial "Nearby" searches (triggered by clicking
+// the map). It intentionally lives outside POI_CATEGORIES so it does not show
+// up as a quick-search chip or in the search autocomplete. Like other
+// categories it is represented in the URL as ?category=nearby, which lets the
+// UI display its label and offer a clear button.
+export const NEARBY_CATEGORY = {
+  id: 'nearby',
+  label: 'Nearby',
+  icon: 'target',
+};
+
 export function getCategoryById(id) {
+  if (id === NEARBY_CATEGORY.id) return NEARBY_CATEGORY;
   return POI_CATEGORIES.find((c) => c.id === id);
 }

tests/acceptance/search-loading-test.js

@@ -54,7 +54,19 @@ class MockOsmService extends Service {
     return [];
   }
   async getNearbyPois() {
-    return [];
+    return new Promise((resolve) => {
+      osmResolve = () => {
+        resolve([
+          {
+            title: 'Nearby Place',
+            lat: 1,
+            lon: 1,
+            osmId: '999',
+            osmType: 'node',
+          },
+        ]);
+      };
+    });
   }
 }
 
@@ -68,7 +80,7 @@ module('Acceptance | search loading', function (hooks) {
     this.owner.register('service:osm', MockOsmService);
   });
 
-  test('search shows loading indicator but nearby search does not', async function (assert) {
+  test('search shows loading indicator for text, category and nearby searches', async function (assert) {
     const mapUi = this.owner.lookup('service:map-ui');
 
     // 1. Text Search
@@ -121,11 +133,25 @@ module('Acceptance | search loading', function (hooks) {
     );
 
     // 3. Nearby Search
-    await visit('/search?lat=1&lon=1');
+    const nearbyPromise = visit('/search?category=nearby&lat=1&lon=1');
+    await new Promise((r) => setTimeout(r, 10));
+
+    assert.deepEqual(
+      mapUi.loadingState,
+      { type: 'nearby', value: 'nearby' },
+      'Loading state is set for nearby search'
+    );
+
+    // Resolve the manual promise
+    osmResolve();
+
+    await nearbyPromise;
+    await settled();
+
     assert.strictEqual(
       mapUi.loadingState,
       null,
-      'Loading state is NOT set for nearby search'
+      'Loading state is cleared after nearby search'
     );
   });
 

tests/acceptance/search-test.js

@@ -277,6 +277,9 @@ module('Acceptance | search', function (hooks) {
       async getCategoryPois() {
         return [];
       }
+      async getNearbyPois() {
+        return [];
+      }
     }
     this.owner.register('service:osm', MockOsmService);
 
@@ -336,7 +339,13 @@ module('Acceptance | search', function (hooks) {
         'Search input is populated with mapped category label'
       );
 
-    // 3. Go back to index
+    // 3. Visit a nearby search URL
+    await visit('/search?category=nearby&lat=52.52&lon=13.405');
+    assert
+      .dom('.search-input')
+      .hasValue('Nearby', 'Search input is populated with the Nearby label');
+
+    // 4. Go back to index
     await visit('/');
     assert
       .dom('.search-input')
@@ -384,4 +393,63 @@ module('Acceptance | search', function (hooks) {
     assert.strictEqual(currentURL(), '/', 'Search route is cleared');
     assert.strictEqual(mapUi.searchResults.length, 0, 'Results are cleared');
   });
+
+  test('nearby search state is shown in the search box and can be dismissed', async function (assert) {
+    class MockOsmService extends Service {
+      cancelAll() {}
+      async getNearbyPois() {
+        return [
+          {
+            title: 'Nearby Cafe',
+            lat: 52.521,
+            lon: 13.406,
+            osmId: '789',
+            osmType: 'N',
+          },
+        ];
+      }
+    }
+    this.owner.register('service:osm', MockOsmService);
+
+    class MockStorageService extends Service {
+      savedPlaces = [];
+      findPlaceById() {
+        return null;
+      }
+      isPlaceSaved() {
+        return false;
+      }
+      rs = { on: () => {} };
+      placesInView = [];
+      loadPlacesInBounds() {
+        return Promise.resolve();
+      }
+    }
+    this.owner.register('service:storage', MockStorageService);
+
+    const mapUi = this.owner.lookup('service:map-ui');
+
+    await visit('/search?category=nearby&lat=52.52&lon=13.405');
+
+    assert.dom('.sidebar-header h2').includesText('Nearby');
+    assert.dom('.search-input').hasValue('Nearby', 'Input indicates Nearby');
+
+    // Closing the sidebar keeps the search (and its markers) active, so the
+    // search box must still indicate the Nearby search and offer dismissal.
+    await click('.close-btn');
+
+    assert.ok(
+      currentURL().includes('category=nearby'),
+      'Still on the nearby search route with markers visible'
+    );
+    assert
+      .dom('.search-input')
+      .hasValue('Nearby', 'Input still indicates Nearby after closing sidebar');
+    assert.dom('.search-clear-btn').exists('Clear button remains available');
+
+    await click('.search-clear-btn');
+
+    assert.strictEqual(currentURL(), '/', 'Dismissing nearby clears the route');
+    assert.strictEqual(mapUi.searchResults.length, 0, 'Results are cleared');
+  });
 });

tests/integration/components/category-chips-test.gjs

@@ -22,6 +22,9 @@ module('Integration | Component | category-chips', function (hooks) {
     // Check for some expected labels
     assert.dom(this.element).includesText('Restaurants');
     assert.dom(this.element).includesText('Coffee');
+
+    // Nearby is an internal-only category and must not appear as a chip
+    assert.dom(this.element).doesNotIncludeText('Nearby');
   });
 
   test('clicking a chip triggers the @onSelect action', async function (assert) {