Kakao Navigation MCP server

The Kakao Mobility & Kakao Map MCP Server provides a Model Context Protocol (MCP) compliant interface to Kakao Mobility and Kakao Map APIs, designed specifically for Korean navigation and location services. It enables applications to perform location searches and routing with accurate, locally-optimized results.

Getting Started

Prerequisites

To use this MCP server, you'll need to obtain API credentials from Kakao Developers:

1. Log in to Kakao Developers
2. Create an application
   • Navigate to 'My Applications' > 'Add Application' > Enter application information > 'Save'
3. Activate Kakao Map API
   • Select 'Kakao Map' from the sidebar > Turn 'Activation Settings' ON
4. Get your REST API Key
   • Select 'App Keys' from the sidebar > Copy the 'REST API Key'

Available Tools

Location Search (Geocoding)

The server provides geocoding functionality to convert addresses or place names into coordinates:

geocode

This tool transforms address text into precise latitude and longitude coordinates.

Address Search by Place Name

address_search_by_place_name

Find address information by searching with a place name.

Direction Search

Three different routing tools are available:

direction_search_by_names

Find optimal routes between locations using place names or addresses.

direction_search_by_coordinates

Find optimal routes between locations using latitude/longitude coordinates.

future_direction_search_by_coordinates

Plan routes for a specific future time using coordinates, which accounts for predicted traffic conditions.

Features

Location Search

• Converts addresses or place names to coordinates
• Provides accurate location information for Korean addresses

Navigation Services

• Finds optimal routes between start and destination points
• Supports various transportation modes (walking, driving, etc.)
• Integrates real-time traffic information
• Allows future trip planning with traffic predictions

Usage Examples

Finding Coordinates for an Address

Use the geocode tool to convert an address to coordinates:

{
  "address": "서울특별시 강남구 테헤란로 521"
}

Finding a Route Between Two Locations

Use direction_search_by_names to find directions between locations:

{
  "origin": "서울역",
  "destination": "강남역",
  "transportation_mode": "DRIVING"
}

Planning a Future Trip

Use future_direction_search_by_coordinates for time-specific routing:

{
  "origin_latitude": 37.5665,
  "origin_longitude": 126.9780,
  "destination_latitude": 37.4979,
  "destination_longitude": 127.0276,
  "departure_time": "2023-12-25T18:30:00+09:00"
}

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.