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
13 tools in four categories — pick by scenario:
Place Discovery
| Tool |
When to use |
Example |
geocode |
Have an address/landmark, need coordinates |
"What are the coordinates of Tokyo Tower?" |
reverse-geocode |
Have coordinates, need an address |
"What's at 35.65, 139.74?" |
search-nearby |
Know a location, find nearby places by type |
"Coffee shops near my hotel" |
search-places |
Natural language place search |
"Best ramen in Tokyo" |
place-details |
Have a place_id, need full info |
"Opening hours and reviews for this restaurant?" |
Routing & Distance
| Tool |
When to use |
Example |
directions |
How to get from A to B |
"Route from Taipei Main Station to the airport" |
distance-matrix |
Compare distances across multiple points |
"Which of these 3 hotels is closest to the airport?" |
Environment
| Tool |
When to use |
Example |
elevation |
Query altitude |
"Elevation profile along this hiking trail" |
timezone |
Need local time at a destination |
"What time is it in Tokyo?" |
weather |
Weather at a location (current or forecast) |
"What's the weather in Paris?" |
Composite (one-call shortcuts)
| Tool |
When to use |
Example |
explore-area |
Overview of a neighborhood |
"What's around Tokyo Tower?" |
plan-route |
Multi-stop optimized itinerary |
"Visit these 5 places efficiently" |
compare-places |
Side-by-side comparison |
"Which ramen shop near Shibuya?" |
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
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 |
1---2name: google-maps-23description: Geospatial query capabilities — geocoding, nearby search, routing, place details, elevation. Trigger when the user mentions locations, addresses, coordinates, navigation, "what's nearby", "how to get there", distance/duration, or any question that inherently involves geographic information — even if they don't explicitly say "map". Update when new tools are added or tool parameters change.4license: MIT5---67# Google Maps - Geospatial Query Capabilities89## Overview1011Gives an AI Agent the ability to reason about physical space — understand locations, distances, routes, and elevation, and naturally weave that information into conversation.1213Without 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.1415---1617## Core Principles1819| Principle | Explanation |20|-----------|-------------|21| 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. |22| 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. |23| Precise input saves trouble | Use coordinates over address strings when available. Use place_id over name search. More precise input = more reliable output. |24| Output is structured | Every tool returns JSON. Use it directly for downstream computation or comparison — no extra parsing needed. |25| Present as tables | Users prefer comparison tables and scorecards over raw JSON. Format results for readability. |2627---2829## Tool Map303113 tools in four categories — pick by scenario:3233### Place Discovery34| Tool | When to use | Example |35|------|-------------|---------|36| `geocode` | Have an address/landmark, need coordinates | "What are the coordinates of Tokyo Tower?" |37| `reverse-geocode` | Have coordinates, need an address | "What's at 35.65, 139.74?" |38| `search-nearby` | Know a location, find nearby places by type | "Coffee shops near my hotel" |39| `search-places` | Natural language place search | "Best ramen in Tokyo" |40| `place-details` | Have a place_id, need full info | "Opening hours and reviews for this restaurant?" |4142### Routing & Distance43| Tool | When to use | Example |44|------|-------------|---------|45| `directions` | How to get from A to B | "Route from Taipei Main Station to the airport" |46| `distance-matrix` | Compare distances across multiple points | "Which of these 3 hotels is closest to the airport?" |4748### Environment49| Tool | When to use | Example |50|------|-------------|---------|51| `elevation` | Query altitude | "Elevation profile along this hiking trail" |52| `timezone` | Need local time at a destination | "What time is it in Tokyo?" |53| `weather` | Weather at a location (current or forecast) | "What's the weather in Paris?" |5455### Composite (one-call shortcuts)56| Tool | When to use | Example |57|------|-------------|---------|58| `explore-area` | Overview of a neighborhood | "What's around Tokyo Tower?" |59| `plan-route` | Multi-stop optimized itinerary | "Visit these 5 places efficiently" |60| `compare-places` | Side-by-side comparison | "Which ramen shop near Shibuya?" |6162---6364## Invocation6566```bash67npx @cablate/mcp-google-map exec <tool> '<json_params>' [-k API_KEY]68```6970- **API Key**: `-k` flag or `GOOGLE_MAPS_API_KEY` environment variable71- **Output**: JSON to stdout, errors to stderr72- **Stateless**: each call is independent7374---7576## When to Update This Skill7778| Trigger | What to update |79|---------|----------------|80| New tool added to the package | Tool Map table + references/tools-api.md |81| Tool parameters changed | references/tools-api.md |82| New chaining pattern discovered in practice | references/tools-api.md chaining section |8384---8586## Reference8788| File | Content | When to read |89|------|---------|--------------|90| `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 |
robinandreeklund-collab