home / mcp / google maps mcp server

Google Maps MCP Server

Provides Google Maps capabilities via MCP: search, geocoding, directions, elevation, and static maps.

Installation

Add the following to your MCP client configuration file.

Configuration

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "artixz-mcp-google-maps": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-google-maps"
      ],
      "env": {
        "CACHE_TTL": "3600",
        "DEFAULT_REGION": "US",
        "ENABLE_CACHING": "true",
        "DEFAULT_LANGUAGE": "en",
        "GOOGLE_MAPS_API_KEY": "YOUR_API_KEY",
        "MAX_REQUESTS_PER_DAY": "100000",
        "MAX_REQUESTS_PER_SECOND": "50"
      }
    }
  }
}

You can access Google Maps functionality through an MCP server that exposes places search, geocoding, directions, elevation data, and more via the MCP interface. This makes it easy to integrate maps data into your applications and automation workflows with a consistent MCP-based API.

How to use

To use this MCP server, start the stdio process locally and connect your MCP client to it. The server provides a set of endpoints for common maps tasks, including searching for places, getting place details, geocoding and reverse geocoding, distance calculations, directions, elevation data, and static map visualizations with directions.

Key actions you can perform through the MCP client include: search nearby places, retrieve detailed information about a place, convert addresses to coordinates and back, compute distances between origins and destinations, fetch directions between points, obtain elevation data, and generate maps with route visuals.

How to install

Prerequisites you need on your machine: a recent Node.js runtime and npm.

Install the MCP Google Maps server globally so you can run it as a standalone command.

Then test that the MCP server is accessible by starting it locally.

npm install -g mcp-google-maps

Run the server to verify it starts and listens for MCP clients.

npx mcp-google-maps

MCP configuration

Configure your MCP client to connect to the Google Maps MCP server using a stdio-style configuration. The example below shows how to wire the server into your MCP setup.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "google_maps": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "mcp-google-maps"],
      "env": {
        "GOOGLE_MAPS_API_KEY": "your_api_key_here",
        "DEFAULT_LANGUAGE": "en",
        "DEFAULT_REGION": "US",
        "MAX_REQUESTS_PER_SECOND": "50",
        "MAX_REQUESTS_PER_DAY": "100000",
        "ENABLE_CACHING": "true",
        "CACHE_TTL": "3600"
      },
      "enabled": true
    }
  }
}

Available actions and endpoints

You have access to the following map-related actions through the MCP interface: search_nearby, get_place_details, get_geocode, get_reverse_geocode, get_distance_matrix, get_directions, get_elevation, and get_map_with_directions. Use these actions through your MCP client to perform the corresponding tasks without needing separate API integrations.

Available tools

search_nearby

Search for places near a specified location or area using Google Maps data.

get_place_details

Retrieve detailed information about a specific place by its identifier.

get_geocode

Convert a street address or place name into geographic coordinates.

get_reverse_geocode

Convert geographic coordinates into a human-readable address.

get_distance_matrix

Compute distances between multiple origins and destinations.

get_directions

Obtain step-by-step directions between two points.

get_elevation

Fetch elevation data for one or more locations.

get_map_with_directions

Generate static map visualizations that show routes and waypoints.