Google Maps MCP server

The MCP Google Map Server is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) implementation that provides comprehensive Google Maps API functionality for LLMs. This server acts as a bridge between language models and Google Maps services, enabling location-based queries, geocoding, directions, and more.

Installation

Installing via NPM

You can install the MCP Google Map Server globally using npm:

npm install -g @cablate/mcp-google-map

Starting the Server

Once installed, you can start the server by running:

mcp-google-map

Integration with Dive Desktop

For seamless integration with Dive Desktop:

1. Click "+ Add MCP Server" in Dive Desktop
2. Copy and paste the following configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "google-map": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@cablate/mcp-google-map"],
      "env": {
        "GOOGLE_MAPS_API_KEY": "your_api_key"
      },
      "enabled": true
    }
  }
}

3. Click "Save" to complete the installation

Google Maps API Setup

Before using the server, you need to set up your Google Maps API credentials:

1. Create a project in Google Cloud Console
2. Enable the required Google Maps API services
3. Generate an API key
4. Set the API key as an environment variable:

export GOOGLE_MAPS_API_KEY="your_api_key_here"

Available Tools

Location Search

search_nearby

Search for places near a specific location with customizable parameters.

Usage example:

Tool: search_nearby
Parameters: location, radius, type, keyword

get_place_details

Get comprehensive information about a specific place.

Usage example:

Tool: get_place_details
Parameters: place_id

Geocoding Services

maps_geocode

Convert a text address to geographic coordinates.

Usage example:

Tool: maps_geocode
Parameters: address

maps_reverse_geocode

Convert coordinates to a human-readable address.

Usage example:

Tool: maps_reverse_geocode
Parameters: latitude, longitude

Distance & Directions

maps_distance_matrix

Calculate distances and travel times between multiple points.

Usage example:

Tool: maps_distance_matrix
Parameters: origins, destinations, mode

maps_directions

Get detailed step-by-step directions between two points.

Usage example:

Tool: maps_directions
Parameters: origin, destination, mode

Elevation Data

maps_elevation

Retrieve elevation data for specific locations.

Usage example:

Tool: maps_elevation
Parameters: locations

Travel Modes

When using direction and distance tools, you can specify the following travel modes:

• driving - Default mode for driving directions
• walking - Walking directions via pedestrian paths & sidewalks
• bicycling - Bicycling directions via bike paths & preferred streets
• transit - Public transit directions

How to add this MCP server to Cursor

There are two ways to add an MCP server to Cursor. The most common way is to add the server globally in the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file so that it is available in all of your projects.

If you only need the server in a single project, you can add it to the project instead by creating or adding it to the .cursor/mcp.json file.

Adding an MCP server to Cursor globally

To add a global MCP server go to Cursor Settings > MCP and click "Add new global MCP server".

When you click that button the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file will be opened and you can add your server like this:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "cursor-rules-mcp": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "-y",
                "cursor-rules-mcp"
            ]
        }
    }
}

Adding an MCP server to a project

To add an MCP server to a project you can create a new .cursor/mcp.json file or add it to the existing one. This will look exactly the same as the global MCP server example above.

How to use the MCP server

Once the server is installed, you might need to head back to Settings > MCP and click the refresh button.

The Cursor agent will then be able to see the available tools the added MCP server has available and will call them when it needs to.

You can also explictly ask the agent to use the tool by mentioning the tool name and describing what the function does.