Introduction
# Grounding Lite
Google Maps Grounding Lite MCP provides AI-grounded location data. Experimental (pre-GA), free during preview.
## Setup
1. Enable the API: `gcloud beta services enable mapstools.googleapis.com` 2. Get an API key from [Cloud Console](https://console.cloud.google.com/apis/credentials) 3. Set env: `export GOOGLE_MAPS_API_KEY="YOUR_KEY"` 4. Configure mcporter: ```bash mcporter config add grounding-lite \ --url https://mapstools.googleapis.com/mcp \ --header "X-Goog-Api-Key=$GOOGLE_MAPS_API_KEY" \ --system ```
## Tools
- **search_places**: Find places, businesses, addresses. Returns AI summaries with Google Maps links. - **lookup_weather**: Current conditions and forecasts (hourly 48h, daily 7 days). - **compute_routes**: Travel distance and duration (no turn-by-turn directions).
## Commands
```bash # Search places mcporter call grounding-lite.search_places textQuery="pizza near Times Square NYC"
# Weather mcporter call grounding-lite.lookup_weather location='{"address":"San Francisco, CA"}' unitsSystem=IMPERIAL
# Routes mcporter call grounding-lite.compute_routes origin='{"address":"SF"}' destination='{"address":"LA"}' travelMode=DRIVE
# List tools mcporter list grounding-lite --schema ```
## Parameters
**search_places**: `textQuery` (required), `locationBias`, `languageCode`, `regionCode`
**lookup_weather**: `location` (required: address/latLng/placeId), `unitsSystem`, `date`, `hour`
**compute_routes**: `origin`, `destination` (required), `travelMode` (DRIVE/WALK)
## Notes
- Rate limits: search_places 100 QPM (1k/day), lookup_weather 300 QPM, compute_routes 300 QPM - Include Google Maps links in user-facing output (attribution required) - Only use with models that don't train on input data