@aiwerk/mcp-server-google-maps

Google Maps Platform MCP server — places, geocoding, turn-by-turn directions, route matrices, elevation and time zones.

Built on the current Google APIs: Places API (New), Routes API v2, Geocoding API, Elevation API and Time Zone API. Turn-by-turn steps, transit routes and live traffic are included, which the Maps Grounding Lite MCP service does not provide.

Install

npx -y @aiwerk/mcp-server-google-maps

Or add to your MCP client config:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "google-maps": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@aiwerk/mcp-server-google-maps"],
      "env": {
        "GOOGLE_MAPS_API_KEY": "your-api-key"
      }
    }
  }
}

Configure

Variable	Required	Description
`GOOGLE_MAPS_API_KEY`	yes	API key from Google Cloud Console
`GOOGLE_MAPS_API_TIMEOUT_MS`	no	Request timeout in ms (default: 30000)

APIs to enable on the Cloud project

Each tool group calls a different API, and a disabled API answers REQUEST_DENIED or HTTP 403. Enable the ones you plan to use:

API	Powers
Places API (New)	`maps_search_places`, `maps_search_nearby`, `maps_place_details`, `maps_place_autocomplete`
Geocoding API	`maps_geocode`, `maps_reverse_geocode`, `maps_place_id_lookup`
Routes API	`maps_directions`, `maps_distance_matrix`
Elevation API	`maps_elevation`
Time Zone API	`maps_timezone`

Billing must be enabled on the project. The legacy Places API and Directions API are not used, so enabling those alone is not enough.

Tools

11 read-only tools. Nothing in this server writes, and every tool is annotated readOnlyHint.

Name	Description
`maps_search_places`	Text search for places, with optional area bias, type, rating, price and open-now filters.
`maps_search_nearby`	Places inside a circle around a coordinate, with the radius as a hard restriction.
`maps_place_details`	Full detail for one place ID: hours, phone, website, rating, optionally reviews.
`maps_place_autocomplete`	Place suggestions plus place IDs for partially typed input.
`maps_geocode`	Address to coordinates, with normalised address components and place ID.
`maps_reverse_geocode`	Coordinates to the addresses at that point.
`maps_place_id_lookup`	Place ID to address and coordinates through the cheaper Geocoding API.
`maps_directions`	Route with turn-by-turn steps, waypoints, traffic, alternatives and transit support.
`maps_distance_matrix`	Travel time and distance for every origin-destination pair.
`maps_elevation`	Elevation for up to 100 points, or a sampled profile along a path.
`maps_timezone`	Time zone, UTC offset and DST offset for a coordinate at a given moment.

Location arguments

maps_directions and maps_distance_matrix accept three shapes for every location:

Shape	Example
Address	`"Bundesplatz 3, 3005 Bern"`
Coordinates	`"46.9480,7.4474"`
Place ID	`"place_id:ChIJ..."`

maps_reverse_geocode, maps_elevation and maps_timezone need coordinates, since those APIs do not geocode. Run maps_geocode first.

Cost control

Places and Routes calls are billed by the fields they request, so the field masks in this server are deliberately narrow.

maps_place_details leaves reviews out until you set include_reviews: true, which moves the call to the Enterprise + Atmosphere tier.
maps_directions requests turn-by-turn steps by default. Set include_steps: false for totals only.
maps_search_places and maps_search_nearby accept a fields array that replaces the default mask entirely, for either trimming cost or reaching fields the default omits.
maps_place_id_lookup resolves a place ID through Geocoding instead of Place Details when only the address is needed.

Set a quota cap in Google Cloud Console before pointing an autonomous agent at this server.

Notes

The classic web services (Geocoding, Elevation, Time Zone) answer HTTP 200 even when they refuse a request, with the real result in a status field. This server checks that field, so a bad key surfaces as a tool error instead of an empty success.
ZERO_RESULTS is returned as data, not as an error. An empty results array means the address or route genuinely has no match.
routingPreference and the avoid_* flags only apply to DRIVE and TWO_WHEELER. Passing them with WALK, BICYCLE or TRANSIT is rejected locally rather than sent to the API.
maps_distance_matrix results carry originIndex and destinationIndex and are not necessarily ordered.

License

MIT

Google Maps MCP Server