mcp-google-map MCP — Use Cases, Install & Live Demo

Why use it

Key features

14 atomic tools: geocode, reverse-geocode, directions, distance-matrix, places-search, place-details, elevation, timezone, weather, air-quality, static-maps, and more
4 composite tools for one-shot exploration, routing, comparison, and SEO rank-tracking
Tool subset filtering via GOOGLE_MAPS_ENABLED_TOOLS — trim context cost
stdio / HTTP / CLI transports
Runs with npx @cablate/mcp-google-map

Live Demo

What it looks like in practice

google-map.replay ▶ ready

0/0

Install

Pick your client

~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json · Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "google-map": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-google-map"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Developer → Edit Config. Restart after saving.

~/.cursor/mcp.json · .cursor/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "google-map": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-google-map"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

Cursor uses the same mcpServers schema as Claude Desktop. Project config wins over global.

VS Code → Cline → MCP Servers → Edit

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "google-map": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-google-map"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

Click the MCP Servers icon in the Cline sidebar, then "Edit Configuration".

~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "google-map": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-google-map"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

Same shape as Claude Desktop. Restart Windsurf to pick up changes.

~/.continue/config.json

{
  "mcpServers": [
    {
      "name": "google-map",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-google-map"
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Continue uses an array of server objects rather than a map.

~/.config/zed/settings.json

{
  "context_servers": {
    "google-map": {
      "command": {
        "path": "npx",
        "args": [
          "-y",
          "mcp-google-map"
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}

Add to context_servers. Zed hot-reloads on save.

claude mcp add google-map -- npx -y mcp-google-map

One-liner. Verify with claude mcp list. Remove with claude mcp remove.

Use Cases

Real-world ways to use mcp-google-map

Track your Google Maps ranking for key searches across zip codes

👤 Local SEO specialists, restaurant / service businesses ⏱ ~20 min intermediate

When to use: You want to know where your business ranks for 'best pizza' in 20 zip codes around town, refreshed weekly.

Prerequisites

Google Maps API key with Places (New) enabled — Google Cloud Console > Enable APIs

Flow

Use the composite local-rank-tracker tool

Run local-rank-tracker for business 'Tony's Pizza' (place_id: [id]) on query 'pizza near me' across these 20 coordinates [list lat/lng].✓ Copied

→ Per-location rank (or 'not in top 20')
Store history

Save results to ./rank-history/YYYY-MM-DD.json. Diff against last week.✓ Copied

→ Week-over-week delta

Outcome: Weekly local rank report without paying a SaaS SEO tool.

Pitfalls

Google's Places API cost adds up — ~$17 per 1000 calls — Batch the locations; limit to key zip codes; cache for 7 days

Combine with: filesystem

Plan a multi-stop day trip with driving time and elevation

👤 Travelers, travel bloggers ⏱ ~10 min beginner

When to use: Planning a road trip and want optimized stop order + realistic drive times.

Flow

Describe the stops

I want to visit Yosemite Valley, Mariposa Grove, Tunnel View, Glacier Point — in one day starting from Merced. Optimize the order and give drive times.✓ Copied

→ Ordered stops + per-leg drive minutes
Add context

For each stop, get elevation and the current weather.✓ Copied

→ Annotated itinerary

Outcome: A sane itinerary with real-world durations.

Pitfalls

Routes API uses traffic-aware estimates only at query time — Re-query the morning of the trip for realistic drive times

Compare candidate locations for a new retail store

👤 Real estate analysts, franchise planners ⏱ ~30 min intermediate

When to use: You're deciding between 3 candidate addresses for a new storefront. Foot traffic, competitor proximity, demographic proxies matter.

Flow

Reverse-geocode each candidate

For these 3 addresses, get coordinates and neighborhood.✓ Copied

→ 3 geocoded results
Use compare-places

For each location, count competitors within 1km (category: coffee shop). List top 10 nearby businesses.✓ Copied

→ Per-site competitive density + anchor tenants
Assess traffic corridors

For each, get drive-time from the nearest highway exit and major residential zip code.✓ Copied

→ Accessibility score

Outcome: Data-backed site recommendation you can defend in a meeting.

Pitfalls

Google Places is not a substitute for actual foot-traffic data — Use as a first-pass filter; combine with Placer.ai or county permit data for final decision

Combinations

Pair with other MCPs for X10 leverage

google-map + filesystem

Store weekly rank-tracker snapshots to disk, diff over time

Run local-rank-tracker for my business, save to /reports/rank/YYYY-MM-DD.json.✓ Copied

google-map + postgres

Enrich customer addresses in your DB with lat/lng for map dashboards

For each row in customers where lat IS NULL, geocode the address and UPDATE with lat/lng. Stop at 500/day to respect quota.✓ Copied

Tools

What this MCP exposes

Tool	Inputs	When to call	Cost
geocode	address: str	Address → coordinates	$5 / 1000 calls
reverse_geocode	lat, lng	Coordinates → address	$5 / 1000
directions	origin, destination, mode?, waypoints?	Turn-by-turn or drive-time	$5-10 / 1000
places_search	query, location?, radius?	Find businesses by keyword near a point	$17-32 / 1000 (New Places)
place_details	place_id	After places_search to get hours, phone, website	$17+ / 1000
explore-area	center, radius, categories[]	Composite — one shot neighborhood survey	bundled
plan-route	stops[], mode, optimize?: bool	Multi-stop trip planning	bundled
compare-places	places[], categories[]	Site selection or evaluation	bundled
local-rank-tracker	query, place_id, locations[]	Local SEO audits	N * places_search cost

Cost & Limits

What this costs to run

API quota: Google: $200/mo free credit covers ~12k geocodes or ~10k Places (New) Autocomplete/Details
Tokens per call: Tool results 500-3000 tokens; trim via GOOGLE_MAPS_ENABLED_TOOLS to reduce schema overhead
Monetary: Pay Google directly. See cloud.google.com/maps-platform/pricing.
Tip: Places (New) is the expensive one. Use geocode (cheap) when you just need coordinates, not business data. Cache place_id aggressively.

Security

Permissions, secrets, blast radius

Minimum scopes: Enable only the APIs you actually use

Credential storage: GOOGLE_MAPS_API_KEY env var. Restrict the key to your IP / referrer.

Data egress: All queries to maps.googleapis.com

Never grant: Unrestricted key on a shared machine — anyone can burn your quota

Google bills monthly — set a budget alert in GCP Billing before enabling APIs.
Places (New) supersedes legacy Places; make sure you enabled the (New) version.

Troubleshooting

Common errors and fixes

REQUEST_DENIED / API key not valid

API isn't enabled or key restrictions block your IP. Check GCP Console > APIs & Services > Credentials.

Verify: curl 'https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/geocode/json?address=NYC&key=$KEY'

OVER_QUERY_LIMIT

You've blown the $200 monthly free tier, or Google is throttling per-second. Back off + batch.

Verify: GCP Billing > Reports

Empty results for obvious queries

Places (New) requires explicit field masks on some calls. Update to latest npm version.

Alternatives

mcp-google-map vs others

Alternative	When to use it instead	Tradeoff
OpenStreetMap Nominatim MCP	Free, no API key, non-commercial use OK	Less rich data; rate-limited to 1 rps
Mapbox MCP	You prefer Mapbox's styling and routing	Different pricing and data model

More

Resources

📖 Read the official README on GitHub

🐙 Browse open issues

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