Google Maps - Geospatial Query Capabilities
Overview
Gives an AI Agent the ability to reason about physical space — understand locations, distances, routes, and elevation, and naturally weave that information into conversation.
Without this Skill, the agent can only guess or refuse when asked "how do I get from Taipei 101 to the National Palace Museum?". With it, the agent returns exact coordinates, step-by-step routes, and travel times.
Core Principles
| Principle |
Explanation |
| Chain over single-shot |
Most geo questions require 2-5 tool calls chained together. See Scenario Recipes in references/tools-api.md for the full patterns. |
| Match recipe to intent |
Map the user's question to a recipe (Trip Planning, Local Discovery, Route Comparison, Neighborhood Analysis, Multi-Stop, Place Comparison, Along the Route) before calling any tool. |
| Precise input saves trouble |
Use coordinates over address strings when available. Use place_id over name search. More precise input = more reliable output. |
| Output is structured |
Every tool returns JSON. Use it directly for downstream computation or comparison — no extra parsing needed. |
| Present as tables |
Users prefer comparison tables and scorecards over raw JSON. Format results for readability. |
Tool Map
17 tools in five categories — pick by scenario:
Place Discovery
| Tool |
When to use |
Example |
maps_geocode |
Have an address/landmark, need coordinates |
"What are the coordinates of Tokyo Tower?" |
maps_reverse_geocode |
Have coordinates, need an address |
"What's at 35.65, 139.74?" |
maps_search_nearby |
Know a location, find nearby places by type |
"Coffee shops near my hotel" |
maps_search_places |
Natural language place search |
"Best ramen in Tokyo" |
maps_place_details |
Have a place_id, need full info (+ optional photo URLs via maxPhotos) |
"Opening hours and reviews for this restaurant?" |
maps_batch_geocode |
Geocode multiple addresses at once (max 50) |
"Get coordinates for all these offices" |
Routing & Distance
| Tool |
When to use |
Example |
maps_directions |
How to get from A to B |
"Route from Taipei Main Station to the airport" |
maps_distance_matrix |
Compare distances across multiple points |
"Which of these 3 hotels is closest to the airport?" |
maps_search_along_route |
Find places along a route (meals, stops) ranked by detour time |
"Restaurants between Fushimi Inari and Kiyomizu-dera" |
Environment
| Tool |
When to use |
Example |
maps_elevation |
Query altitude |
"Elevation profile along this hiking trail" |
maps_timezone |
Need local time at a destination |
"What time is it in Tokyo?" |
maps_weather |
Weather at a location (current or forecast) |
"What's the weather in Paris?" |
maps_air_quality |
AQI, pollutants, health recommendations |
"Is the air safe for jogging?" |
Visualization
| Tool |
When to use |
Example |
maps_static_map |
Show locations/routes on a map image |
"Show me these places on a map" |
Composite (one-call shortcuts)
| Tool |
When to use |
Example |
maps_explore_area |
Overview of a neighborhood |
"What's around Tokyo Tower?" |
maps_plan_route |
Multi-stop optimized itinerary (Routes API waypoint optimization, up to 25 stops) |
"Visit these 5 places efficiently" |
maps_compare_places |
Side-by-side comparison |
"Which ramen shop near Shibuya?" |
maps_local_rank_tracker |
Local SEO grid rank tracking |
"How does this dentist rank across the area?" |
Known API Limitations
| Tool |
Limitation |
Workaround |
maps_weather |
Unsupported regions: Japan, China, South Korea, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria |
Use web search for weather in these regions |
maps_distance_matrix |
Transit mode may return null in some regions |
Fall back to driving or walking mode, or use maps_directions for transit |
maps_plan_route |
Transit mode does not support waypoint optimization |
Set optimize: false for transit mode |
maps_air_quality |
Works globally including Japan (unlike weather) |
— |
Invocation
npx @cablate/mcp-google-map exec <tool> '<json_params>' [-k API_KEY]
- API Key:
-k flag or GOOGLE_MAPS_API_KEY environment variable
- Output: JSON to stdout, errors to stderr
- Stateless: each call is independent
- Tool names: CLI accepts both
maps_geocode and geocode short forms
- Tool filtering: Set
GOOGLE_MAPS_ENABLED_TOOLS env var to a comma-separated list of tool names to limit registered tools (reduces MCP client context usage). Omit or set to * for all tools.
When to Update This Skill
| Trigger |
What to update |
| New tool added to the package |
Tool Map table + references/tools-api.md |
| Tool parameters changed |
references/tools-api.md |
| New chaining pattern discovered in practice |
references/tools-api.md chaining section |
Reference
| File |
Content |
When to read |
references/tools-api.md |
Full parameter specs, response formats, 7 scenario recipes, and decision guide |
When you need exact parameters, response shapes, or multi-tool workflow patterns |
references/travel-planning.md |
Travel planning methodology — 6-layer model, Search Along Route, anti-patterns |
When planning multi-day trips — read before Recipe 1 |
references/local-seo.md |
Local SEO / Google Business Profile ranking analysis — competitor audit, keyword landscape, gap analysis |
When analyzing business rankings, comparing competitors, or scouting locations |
For project development knowledge (architecture, API guide, GIS domain, design decisions), see skills/project-docs/SKILL.md.