Mapbox MCP Server
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Provides geospatial data and routing capabilities to AI agents via the Model Context Protocol, enabling location‑aware queries such as geocoding, POI search, routing, travel‑time matrices, isochrones, and static map images.
Mapbox MCP Server Overview
What is Mapbox MCP Server about?
Enables AI applications to understand and reason about geographic locations by exposing Mapbox’s geocoding, search, routing, matrix, isochrone, and static map APIs through a standardized MCP interface.
How to use Mapbox MCP Server?
- Obtain a Mapbox access token.
- Install and start the server with npx:
(or build/run via Docker as described in the README).npx -y @mapbox/mcp-server - Configure your AI client (Claude Desktop, VS Code, Cursor AI, Smolagents, etc.) to point to the server endpoint (default
http://localhost:3000/mcp). - Issue prompts that reference geographic tasks; the server translates them into the appropriate Mapbox API calls and returns results.
Key features of Mapbox MCP Server
- Global forward and reverse geocoding.
- Point‑of‑interest and category search with language and region support.
- Multi‑modal routing (driving, walking, cycling) with live‑traffic, vehicle constraints, and alternative routes.
- Travel‑time matrix calculations for many‑to‑many scenarios.
- Isochrone generation to visualise reachable areas.
- Static map image creation with custom styles, markers, and overlays.
- Docker support and an inspector tool for debugging.
- No data storage; all requests are sent directly from the client to Mapbox APIs.
Use cases of Mapbox MCP Server
- AI travel assistants that can give directions, estimate travel times, and suggest nearby amenities.
- Logistics optimization tools that compute travel‑time matrices and reachable zones for delivery planning.
- Location‑based recommendation engines that surface POIs, restaurants, or services near a user’s context.
- Development of geospatial plugins for IDEs (e.g., VS Code, Claude Desktop) to visualize routes and maps directly in the editor.
- Any autonomous agent needing spatial awareness without embedding Mapbox SDKs directly.
FAQ from the Mapbox MCP Server
Q: Do I need to expose my Mapbox token to the server? A: The token remains on the client side. The server does not store or forward it; it only forwards API calls directly to Mapbox.
Q: Can I run the server locally without Docker?
A: Yes. After installing Node.js, use npm run build and then run the inspector with npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector node dist/esm/index.js or simply start the package with npx -y @mapbox/mcp-server.
Q: Which environments are supported for integration? A: Official guides exist for Claude Desktop, VS Code, Cursor AI IDE, and Smolagents. Any client that can speak the MCP protocol can connect.
Q: How is privacy handled? A: The server does not log or store any request data. All API calls go directly from the user's environment to Mapbox, and the token never leaves the local machine.
Q: Where can I report bugs or request features?
A: Open an issue on the GitHub repository or email mcp-feedback@mapbox.com.
Mapbox MCP Server's README
Mapbox MCP Server
Node.js server implementing Model Context Protocol (MCP) for Mapbox APIs.
Unlock Geospatial Intelligence for Your AI Applications
The Mapbox MCP Server transforms any AI agent or application into a geospatially-aware system by providing seamless access to Mapbox's comprehensive location intelligence platform. With this server, your AI can understand and reason about places, navigate the physical world, and access rich geospatial data including:
- Global geocoding to convert addresses and place names to coordinates and vice versa
- Points of interest (POI) search across millions of businesses, landmarks, and places worldwide
- Multi-modal routing for driving, walking, and cycling with real-time traffic
- Travel time matrices to analyze accessibility and optimize logistics
- Isochrone generation to visualize areas reachable within specific time or distance constraints
- Static map images to create visual representations of locations, routes, and geographic data
Whether you're building an AI travel assistant, logistics optimizer, location-based recommender, or any application that needs to understand "where", the Mapbox MCP Server provides the spatial intelligence to make it possible. You can also enable it on popular clients like Claude Desktop and VS Code. See below for details
Usage
A Mapbox access token is required to use this MCP server.
Hosted MCP Endpoint
For quick access, you can use our hosted MCP endpoint:
Endpoint: https://mcp.mapbox.com/mcp
For detailed setup instructions for different clients and API usage, see the Hosted MCP Server Guide.
To get a Mapbox access token:
- Sign up for a free Mapbox account at mapbox.com/signup
- Navigate to your Account page
- Create a new token or use the default public token
For more information about Mapbox access tokens, see the Mapbox documentation on access tokens.
Integration Guides
For detailed setup instructions for different integrations, refer to the following guides:
- Claude Desktop Setup - Instructions for configuring Claude Desktop to work with this MCP server
- VS Code Setup - Setting up a development environment in Visual Studio Code
- Cursor AI IDE Setup - Setting up a development environment in Cursor AI IDE
- Smolagents Integration - Example showing how to connect Smolagents AI agents to Mapbox's tools
Example Prompts
Try these prompts with Claude Desktop or other MCP clients after setup:
Location Discovery
- "Find coffee shops within walking distance of the Empire State Building"
- "Show me gas stations along the route from Boston to New York"
- "What restaurants are near Times Square?"
Navigation & Travel
- "Get driving directions from LAX to Hollywood with current traffic"
- "How long would it take to walk from Central Park to Times Square?"
- "Calculate travel time from my hotel (Four Seasons) to JFK Airport by taxi during rush hour"
Visualization & Maps
- "Create a map image showing the route from Golden Gate Bridge to Fisherman's Wharf with markers at both locations"
- "Show me a satellite view of Manhattan with key landmarks marked"
- "Generate a map highlighting all Starbucks locations within a mile of downtown Seattle"
Analysis & Planning
- "Show me areas reachable within 30 minutes of downtown Portland by car"
- "Calculate a travel time matrix between these 3 hotel locations (Marriott, Sheraton and Hilton) and the convention center in Denver"
- "Find the optimal route visiting these 3 tourist attractions (Golden Gate, Musical Stairs and Fisherman's Wharf) in San Francisco"
Tips for Better Results
- Be specific about locations (use full addresses or landmark names)
- Specify your preferred travel method (driving, walking, cycling)
- Include time constraints when relevant ("during rush hour", "at 3 PM")
- Ask for specific output formats when needed ("as a map image", "in JSON format")
Tools
Mapbox API tools
Matrix tool
Calculates travel times and distances between multiple points using Mapbox Matrix API. Features include:
- Efficient one-to-many, many-to-one or many-to-many routing calculations
- Support for different travel profiles (driving-traffic, driving, walking, cycling)
- Departure time specification for traffic-aware calculations
- Route summarization with distance and duration metrics
- Control approach (curb/unrestricted) and range of allowed departure bearings
Static image tool
Generates static map images using the Mapbox static image API. Features include:
- Custom map styles (streets, outdoors, satellite, etc.)
- Adjustable image dimensions and zoom levels
- Support for multiple markers with custom colors and labels
- Overlay options including polylines and polygons
- Auto-fitting to specified coordinates
POI search tool
Finds specific points of interest or brand locations by name using the Mapbox Search Box forward search API. Features include:
- Search for specific points of interest by proper name or unique brand (e.g., "Amalie Arena", "Starbucks")
- Find all nearby branches of a brand (e.g., "Macy's stores near me")
- Geographic proximity biasing for more relevant results
- Support for multiple languages and countries
Category search tool
Performs a category search using the Mapbox Search Box category search API. Features include:
- Search for points of interest by category (restaurants, hotels, gas stations, etc.)
- Filtering by geographic proximity
- Customizable result limits
- Rich metadata for each result
- Support for multiple languages
Forward geocoding tool
Performs forward geocoding using the Mapbox geocoding V6 API. Features include:
- Convert addresses or place names to geographic coordinates
- Fuzzy matching for partial or misspelled inputs
- Results filtering by country, region, or bounding box
- Customizable result limits
- Multiple language support
Reverse geocoding tool
Performs reverse geocoding using the Mapbox geocoding V6 API. Features include:
- Convert geographic coordinates to human-readable addresses
- Customizable levels of detail (street, neighborhood, city, etc.)
- Results filtering by type (address, poi, neighborhood, etc.)
- Support for multiple languages
- Rich location context information
Directions tool
Fetches routing directions using the Mapbox Directions API. Features include:
- Support for different routing profiles: driving (with live traffic or typical), walking, and cycling
- Route from multiple waypoints (2-25 coordinate pairs)
- Alternative routes option
- Route annotations (distance, duration, speed, congestion)
- Scheduling options:
- Future departure time (
depart_at) for driving and driving-traffic profiles - Desired arrival time (
arrive_by) for driving profile only
- Future departure time (
- Profile-specific optimizations:
- Driving: vehicle dimension constraints (height, width, weight)
- Exclusion options for routing:
- Common exclusions: ferry routes, cash-only tolls
- Driving-specific exclusions: tolls, motorways, unpaved roads, tunnels, country borders, state borders
- Custom point exclusions (up to 50 geographic points to avoid)
- GeoJSON geometry output format
Isochrone tool
Computes areas that are reachable within a specified amount of times from a location using Mapbox Isochrone API. Features include:
- Support for different travel profiles (driving, walking, cycling)
- Customizable travel times or distances
- Multiple contour generation (e.g., 15, 30, 45 minute ranges)
- Optional departure or arrival time specification
- Color customization for visualization
Development
Inspecting server
Using Node.js
# Build
npm run build
# Inspect
npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector node dist/esm/index.js
Using Docker
# Build the Docker image
docker build -t mapbox-mcp-server .
# Run and inspect the server
npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector docker run -i --rm --env MAPBOX_ACCESS_TOKEN="YOUR_TOKEN" mapbox-mcp-server
Create new tool
npx plop create-tool
# provide tool name without suffix (e.g. Search)
Data Usage & Privacy
What data is sent to Mapbox APIs
When you use the MCP server tools, the following data is sent directly from your environment to Mapbox APIs:
- Geocoding tools: Address/location text, coordinates, country/region filters
- Search tools: Search queries, location coordinates for proximity, category filters
- Directions tool: Start/end coordinates, waypoints, routing preferences, vehicle constraints
- Matrix tool: Multiple coordinate pairs, travel profile, departure times
- Static map tool: Coordinates, zoom level, styling preferences, marker information
- Isochrone tool: Origin coordinates, time/distance parameters, travel profile
Your privacy
- Local execution: All API calls are made directly from your environment to Mapbox APIs
- Token security: Your Mapbox API token remains on your local machine and is never transmitted to or stored by this MCP server
- No data storage: This MCP server does not store, log, or collect any of your data or API requests
- Direct communication: There is no intermediary server between you and Mapbox APIs
Third-party data usage
- Mapbox's privacy policy governs data sent to their APIs: https://www.mapbox.com/legal/privacy/
- API usage: Standard Mapbox API terms apply to all requests made through these tools
- Data retention: Refer to Mapbox's documentation for their data retention policies
Support & Contact
For MCP Server Issues
- Email: mcp-feedback@mapbox.com
- GitHub Issues: Report bugs and feature requests
For Mapbox API Questions
- Mapbox Support: https://support.mapbox.com/
- Documentation: https://docs.mapbox.com/
- API Status: https://status.mapbox.com/
Maintenance Commitment
This MCP server is officially maintained by Mapbox, Inc. We provide:
- Regular updates for new Mapbox API features
- Bug fixes and security updates
- Compatibility with latest MCP protocol versions
- Community support through GitHub issues
Mapbox MCP Server Reviews
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Mapbox MCP Server's Information
- Author
- mapbox
- Category
- AI Services
- Language
- TypeScript
- License
- BSD 3-Clause "New" or "Revised" License
- Version
- v0.4.0
- Stars
- 256
- Updated
- about 1 month ago
Configuration
{
"mcpServers": {
"mapbox-mcp-server": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@mapbox/mcp-server"
],
"env": {
"MAPBOX_ACCESS_TOKEN": "<YOUR_API_KEY>"
}
}
}
}Configure Clients
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