# squidmaps MCP server

_Last updated October 24, 2026_

> Add squidmaps to your AI assistant once, then ask it for maps. In apps that support it, the map appears right in the conversation, and changes as you ask for changes.

> **Beta:** squidmaps is in beta. Features, the map spec and these docs may change without notice, and things may occasionally break. Export a copy of any map that matters to you, and tell us when something isn't right: use Beta feedback, or email support@squidmaps.io.

The squidmaps MCP server lets an assistant make squidmaps maps for you.
[MCP](https://modelcontextprotocol.io) (Model Context Protocol) is the
standard way AI apps connect to other services. Many apps call these
connections connectors or apps.

With the server added, you don't need a special prompt. Ask for "a map of
the best taco spots in East Austin", then "make the markers bigger" or "add
a walking route", and the assistant changes the same map. When it's how you
want it, open the map in squidmaps and add it to your account.

You don't need a squidmaps account to add the server or make maps. You sign
in only to keep a map.

## The server's address

```text
https://squidmaps.io/api/mcp
```

It's a remote server: there's nothing to install, and it needs no API key or
sign-in.

## Add it to your assistant

Menus change as these apps are updated, and some features depend on your
plan. If a step doesn't match what you see, check the app's own help.

### Claude

On [claude.ai](https://claude.ai) or in the Claude desktop app:

1. Open **Customize**, then **Connectors** (in some versions, **Settings**,
   then **Connectors**).
2. Choose **Add custom connector**.
3. Name it **squidmaps**, paste the server's address, and choose **Add**.
4. In a conversation, open the tools menu and make sure squidmaps is turned on.

You add it once, and it's there on the web, on desktop and on mobile.

On a Team or Enterprise plan, an owner may need to add the connector for the
organization first.

### Claude Code

Run:

```bash
claude mcp add --transport http squidmaps https://squidmaps.io/api/mcp
```

Then type `/mcp` in Claude Code to check that squidmaps is connected. Claude
Code can't show the map in the terminal, so it gives you the link. It can
look at the map with `preview_map` to check its work.

### ChatGPT

Custom MCP servers need ChatGPT's developer mode, which is available on some
plans:

1. Open **Settings**, then **Apps** (called **Connectors** in some
   versions), then **Advanced settings**, and turn on **Developer mode**.
2. Back in **Apps**, choose **Create**.
3. Name it **squidmaps**, paste the server's address, set authentication to
   **No authentication**, and create it.
4. In a conversation, choose **+**, then **More**, and pick squidmaps.

### VS Code

In VS Code with GitHub Copilot, run **MCP: Add Server** from the Command
Palette, choose **HTTP**, and paste the server's address. Or add it to
`.vscode/mcp.json` in your project:

```json
{
  "servers": {
    "squidmaps": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://squidmaps.io/api/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

### Cursor

Add it to `~/.cursor/mcp.json` for all your projects, or to
`.cursor/mcp.json` for one:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "squidmaps": {
      "url": "https://squidmaps.io/api/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

Then make sure squidmaps is turned on under **Cursor Settings**, **MCP**.

### Other apps

Any app that supports remote MCP servers can use squidmaps. Add a server with
the address above, using the HTTP (Streamable HTTP) transport, with no
authentication.

## Make a map

Ask for a map in your own words, like:

- "Make me a squidmaps map of the best taco spots in East Austin, grouped
  by neighborhood."
- "Map the stops on our road trip from Denver to Moab, with a line for the
  route."

Then ask for changes until it's right. The assistant changes the same map,
so its link stays the same.

When you're happy with it, choose **Open in squidmaps** (or open the link),
sign in, and choose **Add to my account**. It becomes one of your maps, to
edit and publish like any other.

> **Tip:** The link works for an hour after the last change, up to a day after the map was made. Add the map to your account to keep it.

## Seeing the map in the conversation

In apps that support [MCP Apps](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/ext-apps),
like Claude, ChatGPT and VS Code, the map appears in the conversation when the
assistant makes or changes it. Where the app allows it, it's the live map,
to pan, zoom and click. Claude shows a picture of the map instead: choose it,
or **Open in squidmaps**, to explore it.

Elsewhere, the assistant gives you the map's link. Open it in your browser and
leave it open: it shows each change within a few seconds.

## What the assistant can do

The server gives the assistant four tools:

| Tool | What it does |
| --- | --- |
| `get_map_spec` | Reads the [map spec](https://squidmaps.io/docs/spec), so the assistant knows how to write a squidmaps map: the whole map, styles, popups and legend included, in one document. |
| `create_map` | Makes a map and returns its link. |
| `update_map` | Replaces the map with a changed one, at the same link. |
| `preview_map` | Returns a picture of the map, so the assistant can see what it made and fix what's wrong. It can ask for a size that fits the map, like a tall one for a route that runs north to south. |

They use the [ephemeral maps API](https://squidmaps.io/docs/api/ephemeral-maps), with its
[limits](https://squidmaps.io/docs/api/ephemeral-maps#limits). Maps made this way can't have
images: add them once the map is in your account.

Anyone with a map's link can see it until it expires, so don't put anything
private on a map you haven't added to your account.

- [Use squidmaps with AI](https://squidmaps.io/docs/ai): Ask an AI assistant for a map you can keep editing.
- [Ephemeral maps](https://squidmaps.io/docs/api/ephemeral-maps): Send a map without an account, and get a link to open it.