Google Maps MCP Server for Cloud Run

A Google Maps Model Context Protocol (MCP) server designed for deployment on Google Cloud Run with public access. This server provides Google Maps functionality to Claude Desktop clients through a secure, rate-limited API.

Features

Route Calculation: Optimal driving routes with real-time traffic data
Route Comparison: Compare multiple routing alternatives with different options
Live Traffic: Current traffic conditions and travel time analysis
Cost Estimation: Trip cost calculations including fuel and toll estimates
Public Access: No authentication required for easy sharing
Rate Limiting: 50 requests per hour per IP address
Cloud Run Optimized: Designed for serverless deployment on GCP

Prerequisites

Google Cloud Platform account with billing enabled
Google Cloud CLI (gcloud) installed and configured
Node.js 18+ for local development
Google Maps API key with required APIs enabled

Required Google Maps APIs

Before deployment, enable these APIs in your GCP project:

Directions API - For route calculations
Geocoding API - For address resolution
Maps JavaScript API - For polyline encoding (optional)

Enable APIs via Google Cloud Console or CLI:

gcloud services enable directions-backend.googleapis.com
gcloud services enable geocoding-backend.googleapis.com
gcloud services enable maps-backend.googleapis.com

Quick Start

1. Get Google Maps API Key

Go to Google Cloud Console > Credentials
Create a new API key or use an existing one
Restrict the key to the required APIs listed above
Note your API key for deployment

2. Deploy to Cloud Run

# Clone the repository
git clone <your-repo-url>
cd google-maps-mcp-cloudrun

# Set your Google Maps API key
export GOOGLE_MAPS_API_KEY="your-api-key-here"

# Deploy using the provided script
./simple-deploy.sh your-gcp-project-id us-central1

3. Extract Service URL

After deployment, extract your service URL:

# Get the service URL
SERVICE_URL=$(gcloud run services describe google-maps-mcp \
  --region us-central1 \
  --format="value(status.url)")

echo "Your MCP Server URL: $SERVICE_URL/sse"

Manual Deployment

If you prefer manual deployment:

# Set your project
gcloud config set project YOUR_PROJECT_ID

# Enable required services
gcloud services enable run.googleapis.com cloudbuild.googleapis.com

# Deploy
gcloud run deploy google-maps-mcp \
  --source . \
  --region us-central1 \
  --platform managed \
  --allow-unauthenticated \
  --set-env-vars GOOGLE_MAPS_API_KEY="your-api-key-here" \
  --memory 1Gi \
  --cpu 1 \
  --max-instances 10 \
  --timeout 300 \
  --port 8080

Claude Desktop Configuration

Add this configuration to your Claude Desktop settings:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "google-maps": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://YOUR-SERVICE-URL.run.app/sse"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Replace YOUR-SERVICE-URL.run.app with your actual Cloud Run service URL.

Finding Your Claude Desktop Config

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Windows: %APPDATA%/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Available Tools

The MCP server provides these tools to Claude:

calculate_route - Calculate optimal driving routes with traffic
compare_routes - Compare multiple route alternatives
get_live_traffic - Get current traffic conditions
estimate_costs - Calculate trip costs (fuel + tolls)

Service Endpoints

MCP Endpoint: https://your-service.run.app/sse
Health Check: https://your-service.run.app/health
Usage Stats: https://your-service.run.app/stats

Local Development

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Copy environment template
cp .env.example .env

# Edit .env with your API key
# GOOGLE_MAPS_API_KEY=your-api-key-here

# Start development server
npm run dev

# Test locally
npm test

Troubleshooting

Common Deployment Issues

1. Permission Denied

# Error: Permission denied
gcloud auth login
gcloud config set project YOUR_PROJECT_ID

2. API Not Enabled

# Error: API not enabled
gcloud services enable run.googleapis.com
gcloud services enable cloudbuild.googleapis.com

3. Billing Not Enabled

Visit GCP Billing Console
Enable billing for your project

4. Invalid API Key

# Check API key restrictions in Console
# Ensure Directions API and Geocoding API are enabled

5. Service Won't Start

# Check logs for errors
gcloud run services logs read google-maps-mcp --region us-central1 --limit 50

Common Runtime Issues

Rate Limiting

Each IP is limited to 50 requests per hour
Check /stats endpoint for current usage
Consider implementing user authentication for higher limits

API Quota Exceeded

Monitor your Google Maps API usage in GCP Console
Increase quotas if needed
Consider implementing caching for repeated requests

Testing Your Deployment

# Test health endpoint
curl "https://your-service.run.app/health"

# Test stats endpoint
curl "https://your-service.run.app/stats"

# Test with Claude Desktop
# Add the configuration and try asking Claude to calculate a route

Security Considerations

API key is stored as environment variable (secure)
Service allows public access (no authentication required)
Rate limiting prevents abuse (50 requests/hour per IP)
No sensitive data is logged or stored

Cost Management

Cloud Run: Pay-per-request pricing
Google Maps API: Pay-per-API-call pricing
Monitoring: Use GCP billing alerts to track costs

Set up billing alerts:

# Set up billing budget alerts in GCP Console
# Billing > Budgets & Alerts

Documentation Links

Support and Troubleshooting Resources

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.

Contributing

Fork the repository
Create a feature branch
Make your changes
Test thoroughly
Submit a pull request

Note: This server is designed for development and testing purposes. For production use with high traffic, consider implementing additional security measures and monitoring.