> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.civic.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Google Maps

> Place search, driving and walking routes, and current weather plus forecasts via Google Maps Platform

## Overview

The Google Maps MCP server provides access to three Google Maps Platform APIs: **Places** (search for businesses, restaurants, and points of interest), **Routes** (driving and walking directions with distance and duration), and **Weather** (current conditions and forecasts up to 10 days ahead).

## How to Add Google Maps

<Steps>
  <Step title="Get a Google Maps API Key">
    1. Go to the [Google Cloud Console](https://console.cloud.google.com)
    2. Select or create a project
    3. Navigate to **APIs & Services → Library** and enable the following APIs:
       * **Places API**
       * **Routes API**
       * **Weather API** *(part of Google Maps Platform)*
    4. Go to **APIs & Services → Credentials** and click **Create Credentials → API Key**
    5. Copy the key

    <Tip>
      **Restrict the key** — Under **API restrictions**, limit the key to only the three APIs above. Google Maps Platform requires a billing account, but includes a **\$200/month free credit** — typical LLM usage is unlikely to exceed this.
    </Tip>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add to Civic">
    Add the Google Maps server to your Civic environment through the server directory. You will be prompted to provide your API key.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Test Connection">
    Start with `"Find coffee shops near Brandenburg Gate, Berlin"` to verify the connection.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## What You Can Do

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Place Search" icon="location-dot">
    Find businesses, restaurants, parks, and points of interest by text query or coordinates
  </Card>

  <Card title="Driving Routes" icon="car">
    Get driving directions with distance and duration between any two locations
  </Card>

  <Card title="Walking Routes" icon="person-walking">
    Get walking directions and distance (beta — may lack sidewalk data)
  </Card>

  <Card title="Weather" icon="cloud-sun">
    Current conditions, hourly forecasts (48h), and daily forecasts (10 days)
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Use Cases

### Place Search

* **Nearby Places**: `"Find coffee shops near Brandenburg Gate, Berlin"`
* **Specific Search**: `"Search for pet-friendly parks in Manhattan, New York"`
* **Business Lookup**: `"Find the Reichstag phone number and address"`
* **Radius Search**: `"Search for Italian restaurants near 52.52, 13.405 within 500 metres"`

### Weather

* **Current**: `"What's the weather like in Berlin right now?"`
* **Hourly Forecast**: `"Will it rain in London tomorrow morning at 9am?"`
* **Daily Forecast**: `"Give me a 3-day forecast for Paris"`

### Routes

* **Driving**: `"How long does it take to drive from Brandenburg Gate to Berlin Hauptbahnhof?"`
* **Walking**: `"How far is it to walk from the Reichstag to Checkpoint Charlie?"`

### Combining Tools

* **Chained Queries**: `"Find a coffee shop near Brandenburg Gate, then give me walking directions to the top result"`
* **Multi-Tool**: `"Search for restaurants near Potsdamer Platz and check the weather for tonight"`

***

## Available Tools (3)

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="search_places">
    `search_places` — Search for places by text query with optional location bias (coordinates + radius). Returns place IDs, coordinates, and Google Maps links. Supports `languageCode` and `regionCode` for localized results.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="compute_routes">
    `compute_routes` — Get routes between two locations. Supports `DRIVE` and `WALK` travel modes. Returns distance (meters) and duration. Accepts place IDs from `search_places` directly.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="lookup_weather">
    `lookup_weather` — Get weather conditions for a location. Supports current conditions, hourly forecasts (up to 48 hours), and daily forecasts (up to 10 days). Units default to METRIC — pass `unitsSystem: IMPERIAL` for Fahrenheit/miles.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

***

<Note>
  **Place names in summaries only** — `search_places` returns place IDs, coordinates, and Google Maps links in structured fields, but not place names. Names appear in the AI-generated `summary`.

  **Location bias is a bias, not a filter** — Results outside the specified radius may still appear. Post-process by distance for strict proximity filtering.

  **Weather: no historical data** — Only current conditions and forecasts up to 10 days ahead. Past dates return an error.

  **Hourly forecasts within 48 hours only** — Beyond 48 hours, use daily mode (omit the `hour` parameter).

  **Routes: DRIVE and WALK only** — No transit, cycling, or two-wheeler support. Walking routes are in beta.

  **Dates use local timezone** — `date` and `hour` in `lookup_weather` are interpreted in the target location's timezone, not the user's.
</Note>

***

## Guardrails

This server supports all [14 universal guardrails](/civic/concepts/guardrails). Server-specific guardrails are coming soon.

<Tip>
  Configure guardrails via the Civic UI or ask the Configurator Agent: "Add guardrails to my Google Maps server."
</Tip>