MapIron MCP server

MapIron MCP

MapIron (https://mapiron.com) is a map API built on OpenStreetMap data, with a free plan and flat paid plans. It provides static map images, including a privacy-area mode, geocoding, and tiles. This repository provides a small stdio-to-HTTP bridge for MCP clients that can only launch local servers.

MCP Registry: com.mapiron/maps

MapIron was called PinSharing until November 2026. Old configs keep working: see Upgrading from PinSharing.

Most clients: use the hosted server directly

The hosted MCP server is available at:

https://api.mapiron.com/v1/mcp

See https://mapiron.com/docs/mcp for setup. With Claude Code:

claude mcp add --transport http mapiron https://api.mapiron.com/v1/mcp --header "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_KEY"

Clients that only run local servers (stdio)

Some clients, such as Claude Desktop with claude_desktop_config.json, can only launch local stdio MCP servers. For those, use this bridge.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mapiron": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "github:Software-Consulting/mapiron-mcp"],
      "env": { "MAPIRON_API_KEY": "ps_your_key" }
    }
  }
}

Git and Node.js 18+ are required.

Tools

Tool	What it does	What it counts
geocode	Convert addresses or place names to coordinates	1 geocode
reverse_geocode	Convert coordinates to an address or place	1 geocode
static_map	Render a map image with markers or a route	1 static image
privacy_area_map	Show roughly where a place is (a shaded area, no pin); never reveals the exact point	1 static image
map_setup	Code and URLs for an interactive map (MapLibre GL JS, Leaflet, OpenLayers)	free

Configuration

Variable	Required	Default	Description
MAPIRON_API_KEY	Recommended	none	MapIron API key (ps_...). Without it, discovery works and tool calls return the server's missing_key error.
MAPIRON_MCP_URL	No	https://api.mapiron.com/v1/mcp	Hosted MCP server URL. Must be https: unless the host is localhost or 127.0.0.1.
MAPIRON_MCP_TIMEOUT_MS	No	60000	HTTP timeout in milliseconds.
MAPIRON_MCP_DEBUG	No	unset	Set to 1 to write debug logs to stderr.

Upgrading from PinSharing

Nothing breaks if you change nothing:

• github:Software-Consulting/pinsharing-mcp redirects to this repository.
• PINSHARING_API_KEY, PINSHARING_MCP_URL, PINSHARING_MCP_TIMEOUT_MS and PINSHARING_MCP_DEBUG are still read. If both names are set, the MAPIRON_ one wins.
• Existing ps_ keys work unchanged, and https://api.pinsharing.com/v1/mcp still serves the same tools.

To move to the new names, change the repository in args to github:Software-Consulting/mapiron-mcp and rename the variable to MAPIRON_API_KEY.

How it works

The bridge reads JSON-RPC messages from stdin, one per line, and forwards each one to the hosted MCP server over HTTPS. Responses are written to stdout, one JSON object per line. Nothing is stored locally. The API key is only sent to the configured server (by default api.mapiron.com) in the Authorization header, and never printed in logs or errors.

Plans and caps

MapIron has hard monthly caps and no overage billing. A free plan is available without a card:

• Pricing and caps: https://mapiron.com/pricing
• Free keys / dashboard: https://mapiron.com/dashboard

Attribution

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Show attribution wherever map results or images appear.

Development

npm test

The project has zero runtime or development dependencies.

License

MIT. MapIron is a service of Wells Software Consulting LLC.