# Google Maps Grounding Lite MCP server > Search places, check weather and compute routes using Google Maps data, and resolve place names and Maps URLs to Place IDs. - Listing: https://mcp.tc/i/google-maps - Connect: use the server's own URL `https://mapstools.googleapis.com/mcp` (with your API key); clients connect to it directly. The listing link is a page, not an MCP endpoint. - Type: remote (Streamable HTTP) - Auth: API key - Category: [Travel & Maps](https://mcp.tc/c/travel-maps) - Vendor: Google - Verified: yes, mcp.tc checked that this is the official server (https://mcp.tc/verify). It says who runs the server, not that it is safe. - Homepage: ## About Maps Grounding Lite connects an assistant to Google Maps Platform data. It can search for places and businesses, look up current and forecast weather, compute driving or walking routes, and resolve place names or Google Maps links into canonical Place IDs. All five tools are read-only. It runs as a hosted streamable HTTP endpoint at mapstools.googleapis.com/mcp, so nothing is installed locally. Google's documentation says to send a Google API key in the X-Goog-Api-Key header; OAuth is also supported. The live probe did not require auth, so check the Google docs for current requirements. ## What it can do - Search places, businesses and addresses with a text query - Get current conditions, hourly and daily weather forecasts - Compute driving or walking routes between two locations - Resolve place names and addresses to Place IDs in batches - Resolve Google Maps share URLs to Place IDs ## Tools (5) - `search_places`: Find places, businesses, addresses and points of interest from a text query. (read-only) - `lookup_weather`: Get current conditions plus hourly and daily weather forecasts for a location. (read-only) - `compute_routes`: Compute a drive or walk route between an origin and a destination. (read-only) - `resolve_names`: Resolve up to 20 place names or addresses into Google Maps Place IDs. (read-only) - `resolve_maps_urls`: Resolve up to 20 Google Maps URLs into canonical Place IDs. (read-only) ## Example prompts - "Find pet friendly parks in Manhattan, New York" - "What is the weather forecast for Chicago this weekend?" - "How long does it take to walk from the Eiffel Tower to the Louvre?" - "Get the Place ID for this Google Maps link" ## Install ### Claude Code 1. Run this in a terminal, in your project folder: ```bash claude mcp add --transport http google-maps https://mapstools.googleapis.com/mcp ``` 2. Start Claude Code and type `/mcp`. **google-maps** should show as connected. Google Maps Grounding Lite needs an API key. Google’s docs say which header carries it; most servers use `Authorization: Bearer `. ### Claude Desktop 1. Custom connectors can’t send this server’s key header, so use the `mcp-remote` bridge. Open **Settings → Developer → Edit Config** and add: `claude_desktop_config.json`: ```json { "mcpServers": { "google-maps": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "-y", "mcp-remote", "https://mapstools.googleapis.com/mcp" ] } } } ``` 2. Replace the placeholder with your key and restart Claude Desktop. The bridge needs Node.js on your computer. ### Cursor [Add to Cursor]() (opens Cursor) Or add it by hand to `~/.cursor/mcp.json` (all projects) or `.cursor/mcp.json` (this project): `mcp.json`: ```json { "mcpServers": { "google-maps": { "url": "https://mapstools.googleapis.com/mcp" } } } ``` Google Maps Grounding Lite needs an API key. Google’s docs say which header carries it; most servers use `Authorization: Bearer `. ### VS Code [Install in VS Code]() (opens VS Code) Or from a terminal: ```bash code --add-mcp '{"name":"google-maps","type":"http","url":"https://mapstools.googleapis.com/mcp"}' ``` Or commit it to the repo in `.vscode/mcp.json`: `.vscode/mcp.json`: ```json { "servers": { "google-maps": { "type": "http", "url": "https://mapstools.googleapis.com/mcp" } } } ``` Google Maps Grounding Lite needs an API key. Google’s docs say which header carries it; most servers use `Authorization: Bearer `. ### Devin Desktop 1. Add it to `~/.config/devin/mcp_config.json` (macOS and Linux) or `%APPDATA%\devin\mcp_config.json` (Windows): `mcp_config.json`: ```json { "mcpServers": { "google-maps": { "serverUrl": "https://mapstools.googleapis.com/mcp" } } } ``` 2. Refresh the MCP server list in Cascade. Devin Desktop is the new name for Windsurf. It reads `serverUrl` (or `url`) for remote servers. ### Codex ```bash codex mcp add google-maps --url https://mapstools.googleapis.com/mcp ``` Or edit `~/.codex/config.toml` directly: `config.toml`: ```toml [mcp_servers.google-maps] url = "https://mapstools.googleapis.com/mcp" ``` Google Maps Grounding Lite needs an API key. Google’s docs say which header carries it; most servers use `Authorization: Bearer `. ### Gemini CLI ```bash gemini mcp add --transport http google-maps https://mapstools.googleapis.com/mcp ``` This adds it to the current project. Add `-s user` to use it everywhere. ### Any client Most clients accept this shape. Some name the URL field differently: `serverUrl` in Devin Desktop, `httpUrl` in Gemini CLI’s settings file. ```json { "mcpServers": { "google-maps": { "type": "http", "url": "https://mapstools.googleapis.com/mcp" } } } ``` Zed puts servers under `context_servers` in its settings. Cline needs `"type": "streamableHttp"`, or it assumes SSE. Client only starts local servers? Bridge it with `npx -y mcp-remote https://mapstools.googleapis.com/mcp`. Google Maps Grounding Lite needs an API key. Google’s docs say which header carries it; most servers use `Authorization: Bearer `. ## Details - Server version: scaffolding on HTTPServer2 - MCP protocol version: 2025-11-25 - Last checked: 2026-10-03 (reachable) - Listed: 2026-10-03 - Updated: 2026-10-03 --- Source: https://mcp.tc/i/google-maps (mcp.tc is an independent directory, not affiliated with this server's publisher). Corrections: https://mcp.tc/report