Local MCP Server for Google Maps Route Optimization
If you want an AI assistant working directly with Google Maps, the google maps mcp server is the bridge. Local MCP Server for Google Maps Route Optimization.
A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that integrates Google Maps routing and traffic capabilities with Claude AI for advanced route planning, traffic analysis, and cost estimation.
Once connected, the assistant can call these 4 tools directly:
calculate_route — Get optimal route with traffic consideration and waypointscompare_routes — Compare multiple route alternatives with different optionsget_live_traffic — Get real-time traffic information and travel delaysestimate_costs — Calculate trip costs including fuel and toll estimatesSetup follows the standard MCP pattern: clone or install the server, then register it in your client's configuration file and restart the client. The configuration snippets on this page cover Claude Desktop, Claude Code and Cursor.
Before the server will start you need to supply 2 environment variables: GOOGLE_API_KEY, YOUR_API_KEY. Keep credentials in your client's env block or a secrets manager rather than committing them.
Developer-tool servers are usually the first ones people connect, because they turn "help me with this code" into an assistant that can actually read the repo and act on it. Google Maps sits in that group, and the shape of its toolset — calculate_route, compare_routes, get_live_traffic among others — tells you what it is really for. Worth comparing against the other developer tools servers in this directory before you commit to one, since several overlap in scope but differ sharply in setup cost and permissions.
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| calculate_route | Get optimal route with traffic consideration and waypoints |
| compare_routes | Compare multiple route alternatives with different options |
| get_live_traffic | Get real-time traffic information and travel delays |
| estimate_costs | Calculate trip costs including fuel and toll estimates |
{
"mcpServers": {
"google-maps": {
"command": "node",
"args": ["/absolute/path/to/google-maps-mcp-server/src/index.js"],
"cwd": "/absolute/path/to/google-maps-mcp-server"
}
}
}Configuration as documented by the project. Restart the client after saving.
| Variable | Description | Required |
|---|---|---|
| GOOGLE_API_KEY | Credential the server authenticates with. | Yes |
| YOUR_API_KEY | Credential the server authenticates with. | Yes |
Kill hallucinated APIs — version-accurate, up-to-date library documentation injected straight into context.
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GitHub's official server — repos, issues, pull requests, Actions and code security, straight from your assistant.
Issue tracking at the speed of conversation — Linear's official hosted server with OAuth and zero install.
Local repository surgery — status, diffs, commits, branches and history for any repo on disk.
Timezone sanity for AI — current time anywhere and correct conversions, without the model doing date math.