OpenStreetMap MCP
OpenStreetMap MCP server providing precision geospatial tools for LLMs via Model Context Protocol. Features geocoding, routing, nearby places, neighborhood analysis, EV charging stations, and more.
What is OpenStreetMap MCP?
OpenStreetMap MCP is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that allows AI assistants like Claude, Cursor, and VS Code to openstreetmap mcp server providing precision geospatial tools for llms via model context protocol. features geocoding, routing, nearby places, neighborhood analysis, ev charging stations, and more.
OpenStreetMap MCP server providing precision geospatial tools for LLMs via Model Context Protocol. Features geocoding, routing, nearby places, neighborhood analysis, EV charging stations, and more.
This server falls under the APIs and Search & Data Extraction categories on MCPgee, the world's largest MCP server directory with 33,000+ servers.
Features
- OpenStreetMap MCP server providing precision geospatial tool
Use Cases
Maintainer
Works with
Installation
Manual Installation
npx osmmcpConfiguration
Configuration Details
claude_desktop_config.json
Performance
Response Metrics
Resource Usage
How to Set Up and Use OpenStreetMap MCP
OpenStreetMap MCP (osmmcp) is a Go-based MCP server that gives language models access to 25 precision geospatial tools backed by open public APIs — Nominatim for geocoding, Overpass for POI queries, and OSRM for routing. It requires no API keys and covers everything from address lookup and reverse geocoding to EV charging station discovery, neighborhood livability scoring, route emissions analysis, and SVG map visualization. Developers and researchers use it to add real-world geographic reasoning to their AI workflows without commercial mapping API costs.
Prerequisites
- Go 1.24 or later (only required if building from source; pre-built binaries are available)
- An MCP-compatible client such as Claude Desktop
- No API keys required — the server uses free public OpenStreetMap APIs
Download a pre-built binary
Visit the osmmcp releases page and download the binary for your operating system. Alternatively, build from source if you have Go 1.24+ installed.
# Build from source (requires Go 1.24+)
git clone https://github.com/NERVsystems/osmmcp.git
cd osmmcp
go build -o osmmcp ./cmd/osmmcpMake the binary executable and verify
On macOS/Linux, ensure the binary has execute permissions and confirm it runs correctly.
chmod +x osmmcp
./osmmcp --versionGenerate a Claude Desktop configuration file
Use the built-in flag to auto-generate a Claude Desktop config snippet pointing to the osmmcp binary.
./osmmcp --generate-config ~/osmmcp-config.jsonAdd the server to your MCP client config
Copy the generated configuration into your claude_desktop_config.json. The server takes no required environment variables — just the path to the binary.
{
"mcpServers": {
"osmmcp": {
"command": "/path/to/osmmcp"
}
}
}Optionally tune rate limits
The server respects the usage policies of public APIs. Adjust rate limits with command-line flags if you need to reduce request frequency.
/path/to/osmmcp --nominatim-rps 1.0 --overpass-rps 0.033 --osrm-rps 1.67Restart Claude Desktop
Quit and relaunch Claude Desktop so it picks up the new server. Confirm 'osmmcp' appears in the connected MCP servers list.
OpenStreetMap MCP Examples
Client configuration
Minimal claude_desktop_config.json entry for osmmcp with optional debug logging enabled.
{
"mcpServers": {
"osmmcp": {
"command": "/usr/local/bin/osmmcp",
"args": ["--debug"]
}
}
}Prompts to try
Example prompts exercising geocoding, POI discovery, routing, and neighborhood analysis.
- "Geocode '1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA' and show me the coordinates."
- "Find the 5 nearest EV charging stations within 2 km of latitude 37.7749, longitude -122.4194."
- "Get driving directions from the Eiffel Tower to the Louvre and estimate CO2 emissions."
- "Analyze the neighborhood livability score for the area around Times Square, New York."
- "Show me a map image of downtown Tokyo at zoom level 14."Troubleshooting OpenStreetMap MCP
Rate limit errors from Nominatim or Overpass APIs
Lower the request rate with --nominatim-rps 0.5 or --overpass-rps 0.02. The public Nominatim API enforces a maximum of 1 request per second per user agent.
Binary not found after placing it in /usr/local/bin
Ensure the binary has execute permissions ('chmod +x osmmcp') and that the path in the MCP config exactly matches the binary location ('which osmmcp' to confirm).
Overpass queries time out for large areas
Use a smaller bounding box or reduce the number of POI categories in the query. The public Overpass API has a 180-second timeout; complex queries covering large cities can exceed it.
Frequently Asked Questions about OpenStreetMap MCP
What is OpenStreetMap MCP?
OpenStreetMap MCP is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that openstreetmap mcp server providing precision geospatial tools for llms via model context protocol. features geocoding, routing, nearby places, neighborhood analysis, ev charging stations, and more. It connects AI assistants to external tools and data sources through a standardized interface.
How do I install OpenStreetMap MCP?
Follow the installation instructions on the OpenStreetMap MCP GitHub repository. Clone the repo, install dependencies, and add the server config to your AI client.
Which AI clients work with OpenStreetMap MCP?
OpenStreetMap MCP works with all major MCP-compatible AI clients including Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code (GitHub Copilot), Windsurf, and Cline.
Is OpenStreetMap MCP free to use?
Yes, OpenStreetMap MCP is open source and available under the MIT license. You can use it freely in both personal and commercial projects.
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Quick Config Preview
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