MCP Directory

How to add Mapbox MCP Server to Claude Desktop

Geospatial intelligence for AI: geocoding, POI search, routing, isochrones, matrices, and static maps via Mapbox APIs. Paste the config into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json and restart Claude Desktop.

Last updated June 14, 2026 · 347★ · stdio · apikey

Claude Desktop config for Mapbox MCP Server

npx -y @mapbox/mcp-server
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mapbox-mcp-server": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@mapbox/mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "MAPBOX_ACCESS_TOKEN": "<YOUR_TOKEN>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Setup steps

  1. 1Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Developer → Edit Config (this opens ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json).
  2. 2Paste the Mapbox MCP Server config below under the top-level "mcpServers" key.
  3. 3Fill in any placeholder secrets (API keys, paths) in the snippet.
  4. 4Save the file, then fully quit and reopen Claude Desktop.
  5. 5Open a chat and confirm Mapbox MCP Server's tools appear under the 🔌 tools menu.

Before you start

  • A Mapbox access token (free Mapbox account at mapbox.com/signup)
  • Node.js (for the npm package via npx) or Docker, for local stdio usage
  • An MCP-compatible client (Claude Desktop, Claude Code, VS Code, Cursor, etc.)

What Mapbox MCP Server can do in Claude Desktop

search_and_geocode_tool

Search for and geocode POIs, addresses, and places using the Mapbox Search Box Text Search API (consolidates the former forward-geocode and POI-search tools).

category_search_tool

Find all places matching a category (restaurants, hotels, gas stations, etc.) with proximity filtering, result limits, and multi-language support via the Search Box category search API.

reverse_geocode_tool

Convert geographic coordinates to human-readable addresses using the Geocoding V6 API, with configurable detail levels and type filtering.

directions_tool

Fetch routing directions for driving (with live or typical traffic), walking, and cycling across 2-25 waypoints, with alternatives, annotations, depart_at/arrive_by scheduling, vehicle constraints, and exclusions.

matrix_tool

Calculate travel-time and distance matrices between multiple points (one-to-many, many-to-one, many-to-many) with traffic-aware profiles via the Matrix API.

isochrone_tool

Compute areas reachable within given time or distance constraints from a location, generating multiple contours per request, via the Isochrone API.

optimization_tool

Solve the traveling-salesman problem to find the optimal visiting order for 2-12 locations, with roundtrip/one-way options and turn-by-turn output, via the Optimization API.

map_matching_tool

Snap noisy GPS traces (up to 100 coordinates) to the road network with optional timestamps, snap radiuses, and congestion annotations, via the Map Matching API.

Security

Requires a Mapbox access token (MAPBOX_ACCESS_TOKEN). For local stdio usage the token stays on your machine and API calls go directly from your environment to Mapbox APIs; the local server does not store or log data. The hosted endpoint (https://mcp.mapbox.com/mcp) supports OAuth or sending the token as an 'authorization: Bearer <token>' header. Data sent to Mapbox APIs is governed by Mapbox's privacy policy.

Mapbox MCP Server + Claude Desktop FAQ

Where is the Claude Desktop config file?

Claude Desktop reads MCP servers from ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json. Paste the Mapbox MCP Server config there under the "mcpServers" key and restart the client.

Is Mapbox MCP Server safe to use with Claude Desktop?

Requires a Mapbox access token (MAPBOX_ACCESS_TOKEN). For local stdio usage the token stays on your machine and API calls go directly from your environment to Mapbox APIs; the local server does not store or log data. The hosted endpoint (https://mcp.mapbox.com/mcp) supports OAuth or sending the token as an 'authorization: Bearer <token>' header. Data sent to Mapbox APIs is governed by Mapbox's privacy policy.

How do I authenticate?

You need a Mapbox access token. For local stdio usage set it in MAPBOX_ACCESS_TOKEN. For the hosted endpoint (https://mcp.mapbox.com/mcp) you can use the interactive OAuth flow or send the token as an 'authorization: Bearer <token>' header.

Can I use it without running a server locally?

Yes. Mapbox hosts the server at https://mcp.mapbox.com/mcp over Streamable HTTP. Add it in Claude Code with 'claude mcp add --transport http ... https://mcp.mapbox.com/mcp', or configure VS Code/Cursor/Claude Desktop/OpenAI to point at that URL.

Which tools work offline?

The geospatial calculation tools (distance, bearing, midpoint, centroid, area, bounding box, buffer, simplify, point-in-polygon) use Turf.js and run entirely offline; the geocoding, search, directions, matrix, isochrone, optimization, map-matching, and static-image tools call Mapbox APIs.

View repo Full Mapbox MCP Server page