Google Maps Places

This MCP server enables you to search Google Maps Places and fetch place photos through an OAuth-proxied interface. It lets your AI workflows find places, check hours, retrieve photos, and pass results back to your apps or calendars with secure authentication.

How to use

You interact with the server through an MCP client. The HTTP endpoint exposed by the server acts as a bridge to Google Maps Places, handling OAuth flow and API calls on your behalf. Use the client to perform text or nearby place searches, retrieve place details, and fetch photos. The server is designed as an OAuth proxy, so you don’t need to manage user credentials directly in your client.

Typical usage patterns include: searching for a place by name or query, filtering by distance or rating, obtaining hours and photos, and validating or autocompleting addresses for shipments or bookings. The tools exposed by the server include a text search for places and a photo fetch operation, which you can wire into your workflows to build richer place-based experiences.

How to install

Prerequisites you need installed on your machine before running the server:

• Node.js (version compatible with the project) and npm

Follow these steps to run the server locally:

GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID='your-client-id' \
GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET='your-client-secret' \
MCP_TRANSPORT=http \
npm start

The server runs on http://localhost:3000 by default. If you want to use a different port, set PORT to your desired value before starting, for example PORT=3001.

To expose the MCP endpoint for your client, you configure the client to point at the local MCP URL where the server is running.

Then add the MCP server to your client configuration so your agent can reach it via the MCP protocol.

claude mcp add --transport http google-maps-places-mcp http://localhost:3000/mcp

This registers the server with your MCP client so you can send requests and receive responses through the standard MCP channel.

Configuration and server details

The server acts as an OAuth proxy between your MCP client and Google Maps Places. It advertises its authorization capabilities and handles the OAuth flow, including registration, authorization, token exchange, and proxying requests to the Google API.

Key endpoints involved include the OAuth authorization flow and the MCP interface that your client uses to perform place searches and retrieve photos.

Notes on security and deployment

• Store the Google OAuth credentials securely and avoid committing them to source control.

• Use transport security (HTTPS) in production to protect OAuth tokens and API calls.

• If you need to run multiple instances, ensure each instance uses a unique port or domain and handles token scope correctly.

Tools

• places_text_search: Search for places by text query (for example, "coffee shops near me").

• places_photo_get: Retrieve a photo URL for a specified place.

Available tools

places_text_search

Search for places by text query (e.g., "coffee shops near me").

places_photo_get

Get a photo URL for a place.