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Google Maps

Google Maps

Official

Geocoding, place search, directions, and travel times from Google Maps.

Score 95(?)Anthropic (modelcontextprotocol)MIT84kVerified Top MCPs for Maps, Location & Weather →
InstallView on GitHub

Install Google Maps

— pick your client, copy, paste.
claude_desktop_config.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "google-maps": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@modelcontextprotocol/server-google-maps"
      ],
      "env": {
        "GOOGLE_MAPS_API_KEY": "${GOOGLE_MAPS_API_KEY}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Paste under mcpServers. Fully quit and reopen Claude after editing.

CLI or .mcp.json
# export GOOGLE_MAPS_API_KEY=AIza_your_api_key
claude mcp add google-maps -- npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-google-maps

Run from your repo. Commit .mcp.json to share with your team.

.cursor/mcp.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "google-maps": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@modelcontextprotocol/server-google-maps"
      ],
      "env": {
        "GOOGLE_MAPS_API_KEY": "${GOOGLE_MAPS_API_KEY}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Global path: ~/.cursor/mcp.json. Reload window after editing.

.vscode/mcp.json
{
  "servers": {
    "google-maps": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@modelcontextprotocol/server-google-maps"
      ],
      "env": {
        "GOOGLE_MAPS_API_KEY": "${GOOGLE_MAPS_API_KEY}"
      }
    }
  }
}

VS Code uses the "servers" key (not "mcpServers").

~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "google-maps": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@modelcontextprotocol/server-google-maps"
      ],
      "env": {
        "GOOGLE_MAPS_API_KEY": "${GOOGLE_MAPS_API_KEY}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Open via Cascade → hammer icon → Configure.

cline_mcp_settings.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "google-maps": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@modelcontextprotocol/server-google-maps"
      ],
      "env": {
        "GOOGLE_MAPS_API_KEY": "${GOOGLE_MAPS_API_KEY}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Open via the Cline sidebar → MCP Servers → Edit.

~/.continue/config.json
{
  "experimental": {
    "modelContextProtocolServers": [
      {
        "transport": {
          "type": "stdio",
          "command": "npx",
          "args": [
            "-y",
            "@modelcontextprotocol/server-google-maps"
          ],
          "env": {
            "GOOGLE_MAPS_API_KEY": "${GOOGLE_MAPS_API_KEY}"
          }
        }
      }
    ]
  }
}

Continue uses modelContextProtocolServers with a transport block.

~/.codex/config.toml
# ~/.codex/config.toml
[mcp_servers.google-maps]
command = "npx"
args = [
  "-y",
  "@modelcontextprotocol/server-google-maps",
]
env = { GOOGLE_MAPS_API_KEY = "${GOOGLE_MAPS_API_KEY}" }

Codex uses TOML. Each server is a [mcp_servers.<name>] subtable.

~/.config/zed/settings.json
{
  "context_servers": {
    "google-maps": {
      "command": {
        "path": "npx",
        "args": [
          "-y",
          "@modelcontextprotocol/server-google-maps"
        ]
      },
      "env": {
        "GOOGLE_MAPS_API_KEY": "${GOOGLE_MAPS_API_KEY}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Zed calls them "context_servers". Settings live-reload on save.

ChatGPT → Settings → Connectors → Developer mode
{
  "name": "Google Maps",
  "transport": "stdio",
  "command": "npx",
  "args": [
    "-y",
    "@modelcontextprotocol/server-google-maps"
  ],
  "env": {
    "GOOGLE_MAPS_API_KEY": "${GOOGLE_MAPS_API_KEY}"
  }
}

Enable Developer mode (paid plans) and enter these values in the UI.

Quick answer

What it does

Wraps Google Maps Platform APIs (Geocoding, Places, Directions, Distance Matrix) as MCP tools.

Best for

  • Geocoding in agent flows
  • Nearby-places search
  • Directions and travel times
  • Sales/logistics territory queries

Not for

  • Map rendering
  • Very high-volume production routing

Setup recipe

  1. 1

    Install

    Copy the install snippet for your client from the Install section above.

  2. 2

    Set required secrets

    Set GOOGLE_MAPS_API_KEY in your shell environment before launching your MCP client.

  3. 3

    Try a minimum working prompt

    Find highly-rated places near a landmark

    Find the 5 highest-rated coffee shops within a 10-minute walk of the Brooklyn Bridge (Manhattan side). Return: name, rating, review count, and walking time from the bridge.

    Tested with: Claude Desktop, Cursor.

Tools & permissions

Tools list pending verification. The server exposes tools over MCP; we haven’t yet parsed its capability manifest into this page. Check the GitHub repo for the authoritative list.

Security & scope

Access scope
Network
Sandbox
Read-only calls to the Google Maps Platform API using the key in env.
Gotchas
  • Google Maps API quotas and billing are per-project — monitor GCP billing if the agent loops.
  • Some endpoints (Places) require separate API enablement in GCP beyond just the key.

Agent prompt pack

— copy into Claude, Cursor, or ChatGPT.
Paste into Claude, Cursor, or ChatGPT. Edit the [brackets] before sending.
Recommend the best MCP servers for [task: e.g. maps, location & weather work] in [client: Claude].

Constraints:
- Prefer tools that are [official | open-source | read-only] — pick what matters for my use case.
- Exclude MCPs that require [e.g. a paid plan, OAuth-only flows, remote-only transport].
- Return at most 3 picks, ranked.

For each pick include:
1. One-sentence rationale.
2. The ready-to-paste install snippet for my client.
3. Any required secrets I need to create before installing.

Cross-check the top-mcps.com listing: https://top-mcps.com/top-mcps-for-maps-location-weather
Compare Google Maps against a real alternative. Swap the second MCP in [brackets] if you want a different match.
Compare Google Maps MCP vs [OpenWeatherMap MCP] for the following job: [describe the job, e.g. "let an agent create GitHub issues on bug triage"].

Judge them on:
- Setup time and complexity (what a new user hits first).
- Auth model (none / API key / OAuth 2.1) and credential risk.
- Transport (stdio / Streamable HTTP / SSE) and where the server runs.
- Required secrets and the blast radius if they leak.
- Operational risk in an unattended agent loop.
- Which one is "good enough" for a weekend prototype vs. production.

End with one sentence: which should I pick for my scenario, which is: [my scenario].

References:
- https://top-mcps.com/mcp/google-maps
- top-mcps.com listing for OpenWeatherMap
Asks the agent to install and verify. Works inside Claude Code, Cursor Agent, Codex CLI.
Install the Google Maps MCP server for my [client: Claude] at the default config path for that client.

Use the exact install snippet published at https://top-mcps.com/mcp/google-maps (fetch https://top-mcps.com/mcp/google-maps.json for the canonical server.json if you can read URLs).

Before finishing:
1. Create the required secrets (GOOGLE_MAPS_API_KEY) and put them in the appropriate env block — do not hard-code them.
2. Restart or reload the client so it picks up the new server.
3. Verify the server is connected (green / running state) and at least one tool is listed.
4. If anything fails, read the client's MCP logs and report the exact error — do not silently retry.

Confirm when done and list the tools the server now exposes.

Frequently asked questions

What changed

— 2 updates tracked.

  1. Refreshed install snippets and fact sheet; verified for 2026.

  2. Initial directory listing.

More Maps, Location & Weather MCPs

Other tools in the same category worth evaluating.

OpenWeatherMap

Real-time and forecast weather data via the OpenWeatherMap API.

weatherforecastopenweathermaplifestyle
3 minLow

Exploring Top MCPs for Maps, Location & Weather? See all Maps, Location & Weather MCPs →