Google Maps Places

io.github.domdomeggPublished by GitHub account domdomeggv1.1.2Updated Oct 24, 2026

Allow AI systems to search for places and get business info via Google Maps Places API.

VerifiedSTDIODesktop onlyLocation & LifestyleWeb Search & Scraping

Overview

AI-generated overview

A local MCP server that lets an assistant search Google Maps places by text and fetch place photos through the Google Places API.

What you can do
Search for places by text query, such as coffee shops near a location or a named business, and get business information back from Google Maps Places API (New). Retrieve a photo URL for a place found in a search. The server runs locally and acts as an OAuth proxy to Google, so the assistant's requests are authorized with a Google bearer token before reaching the Places API.
When to use it
Useful when you want an assistant to look up locations, opening hours, ratings or photos while coordinating a meeting, finding local recommendations, or validating and completing addresses.
Requirements
Node.js to run the npm package locally. A Google Cloud project with the Places API (New) enabled and a Web application OAuth client ID and secret, set as GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID and GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET. The MCP_TRANSPORT variable must be set, and the server listens on localhost port 3000 by default. The OAuth consent screen must be configured with the localhost callback redirect URI.
Before you install
Requires Google OAuth credentials, including the secret GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET and an access token GOOGLE_ACCESS_TOKEN, which grant access to Google Cloud APIs under the cloud-platform scope. The server proxies OAuth to Google and returns the Google client credentials through its registration endpoint, so keep it bound to localhost and do not expose it publicly. Place queries and related data are sent to Google.

Installation

In SourceWeft

  1. Open Google Maps Places in the dashboard and add it to a workspace.
  2. Enable the server for the chats that should use its tools.

Desktop only via STDIO. STDIO servers start a local process, so they need the SourceWeft desktop host.

Other MCP clients

Follow the launch instructions in the repository.

README

google-maps-places-mcp

MCP server for Google Maps Places API - search for places and get photos.

Use Cases

Meeting coordination: Someone emails "Let's meet at Nando's near the office - what time works best for you?" → your AI assistant looks up the location, checks opening hours, and adds it to your calendar with the address.

Local recommendations: Ask "find a quiet café with WiFi near King's Cross for a 2-hour work session" → get places with ratings, hours, and photos to help you decide.

Address validation: Confirm or autocomplete partial addresses before sending mail or booking deliveries.

(These are just examples - any workflow that needs place search or business info can use this.)

Setup

1. Create Google OAuth credentials

  1. Go to Google Cloud Console
  2. Create a new project (or use existing)
  3. Enable the Places API (New)
  4. Go to APIs & Services → OAuth consent screen, set up consent screen
  5. Go to APIs & Services → Credentials → Create Credentials → OAuth client ID
  6. Choose Web application
  7. Add http://localhost:3000/callback to Authorized redirect URIs
  8. Note your Client ID and Client Secret

2. Run the server

bash
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. Change with PORT=3001.

3. Add to your MCP client

With the server running, follow the instructions on install-mcp, which generates the right config for your MCP client (Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor, Cline, VS Code, and more).

Architecture

This server acts as an OAuth proxy to Google:

mermaid
graph LR    A[MCP client] <--> B[google-maps-places-mcp] <--> C[Google OAuth/API]
  1. Server advertises itself as an OAuth authorization server via /.well-known/oauth-authorization-server
  2. /register returns the Google OAuth client credentials
  3. /authorize redirects to Google, encoding the client's callback URL in state
  4. /callback receives the code from Google and forwards to the client's callback
  5. /token proxies token requests to Google, injecting client credentials
  6. /mcp handles MCP requests, using the bearer token to call Places API

The server holds no tokens or state - it just proxies OAuth to Google.

Tools

ToolDescription
places_text_searchSearch for places by text query (e.g., "coffee shops near me")
places_photo_getGet a photo URL for a place

OAuth Scope

  • cloud-platform - Access to Google Cloud APIs (required for Places API New)

Contributing

Pull requests are welcomed on GitHub! To get started:

  1. Install Git and Node.js
  2. Clone the repository
  3. Install dependencies with npm install
  4. Run npm run test to run tests
  5. Build with npm run build

Releases

Versions follow the semantic versioning spec.

To release:

  1. Use npm version <major | minor | patch> to bump the version
  2. Run git push --follow-tags to push with tags
  3. Wait for GitHub Actions to publish to the NPM registry.

Source: README.md at commit c14fbe7

Tools

0
SourceWeft has not started this package in its sandbox yet, so its tools are not known.

Version history

1
  1. v1.1.2LatestSep 16, 2026

Score

40% of the applicable checks met

How complete this listing is, computed from the registry entry, the endpoint and public sources. Not a rating of the server and not a statement that it is safe or working today: reachability is a dated check, and no installs or reviews go into the score.

  • Reached in the last 30 days25 pts

    Keep the endpoint answering the MCP handshake; SourceWeft probes it every 30 days.

  • Auth declared10 pts

    Declare the credential headers in the registry entry, or keep the endpoint answering the probe so its auth can be classified.

  • Tools listed15 pts

    Answer tools/list without a credential, or ship a package that starts in a sandbox without one.

  • DescriptionRequired15 pts
  • Logo10 pts
  • Documentation15 pts
  • License10 pts

    Declare a license in the repository or the registry entry.