# GeoLens (MCP server)

> GeoLens is an MCP server that adds developer tools to AI assistants such as Claude Desktop, Claude Code and Cursor. Read-only access to a self-hosted GeoLens spatial catalog: datasets, features, maps, sandboxed SQL. It has 271 GitHub stars, is released under the Apache-2.0 license and runs locally with uvx geolens-mcp.

Apache-2.0 read-only Model Context Protocol server for GeoLens. Point a coding agent (Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, …) at a GeoLens instance so it can discover datasets, inspect schemas, read features and maps, and run read-only SQL from inside a dev session.

## Key facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Repository | https://github.com/geolens-io/geolens |
| GitHub stars | 271 |
| License | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Python |
| Transport | stdio |
| Packages | pypi: geolens-mcp |
| Remote URL | none |
| Needs API key | yes |
| Official | yes |
| Works with | Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code |
| Category | Developer tools |
| Latest release | v1.22.0 (Oct 5, 2026) |
| Last commit | Oct 6, 2026 |
| MCP registry name | io.github.geolens-io/geolens |

## Install

### Claude Desktop (claude_desktop_config.json)

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "geolens": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "geolens-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "GEOLENS_INSTANCE": "your-value",
        "GEOLENS_API_KEY": "your-value",
        "GEOLENS_TOKEN": "your-value"
      }
    }
  }
}
```

Settings > Developer > Edit Config. macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/, Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\. Restart Claude Desktop afterwards.

### Claude Code

```sh
claude mcp add --env GEOLENS_INSTANCE=your-value --env GEOLENS_API_KEY=your-value --env GEOLENS_TOKEN=your-value --transport stdio geolens -- uvx geolens-mcp
```

### Cursor (.cursor/mcp.json)

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "geolens": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "geolens-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "GEOLENS_INSTANCE": "your-value",
        "GEOLENS_API_KEY": "your-value",
        "GEOLENS_TOKEN": "your-value"
      }
    }
  }
}
```

Project file; use ~/.cursor/mcp.json to enable it in every project.

### VS Code (.vscode/mcp.json)

```json
{
  "inputs": [
    {
      "type": "promptString",
      "id": "geolens_api_key",
      "description": "GEOLENS_API_KEY",
      "password": true
    },
    {
      "type": "promptString",
      "id": "geolens_token",
      "description": "GEOLENS_TOKEN",
      "password": true
    }
  ],
  "servers": {
    "geolens": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "geolens-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "GEOLENS_INSTANCE": "your-value",
        "GEOLENS_API_KEY": "${input:geolens_api_key}",
        "GEOLENS_TOKEN": "${input:geolens_token}"
      }
    }
  }
}
```

Config formats checked against the official docs on 2026-10-07.

## Environment variables

- `GEOLENS_INSTANCE` (required): Base URL of the GeoLens instance, e.g. https://geolens.example.com (the /api suffix is appended automatically).
- `GEOLENS_API_KEY` (secret): API key, sent as X-Api-Key. Omit for public-only access.
- `GEOLENS_TOKEN` (secret): JWT bearer token, used only when GEOLENSAPIKEY is unset.

## Tools

- `search_datasets`: Catalog search by free text (semantic ranking where the instance enables it).
- `get_dataset_schema`: A dataset's columns, geometry type, CRS/SRID, feature count, extent, and source trust metadata.
- `get_features`: Bounded GeoJSON features for a dataset (OGC API — Features), with optional bbox.
- `list_maps`: Saved maps (id, name, visibility, layer count).
- `get_map`: One saved map's full metadata, including layers and view state.
- `query`: One read-only SQL SELECT through the server's hardened sandbox (#565): single statement over data.

## Similar MCP servers

- [Gemini CLI](https://appsgit.com/mcp-servers/gemini-cli): An open-source AI agent that brings the power of Gemini directly into your terminal. (107,240 stars, Apache-2.0)
- [Front-End Checklist](https://appsgit.com/mcp-servers/front-end-checklist): Review frontend code and live pages against 386 quality-gated web development rules. (74,390 stars, MIT)
- [Claude Flow](https://appsgit.com/mcp-servers/claude-flow): AI orchestration with hive-mind swarms, neural networks, and 87 MCP tools for enterprise dev. (74,016 stars, MIT, needs API key)
- [Codebase Memory](https://appsgit.com/mcp-servers/codebase-memory): Codebase knowledge graph for AI agents — 162 languages, sub-ms queries, 99% fewer tokens. (45,917 stars, MIT)
- [Bytedance Filesystem](https://appsgit.com/mcp-servers/bytedance-filesystem): MCP server for filesystem access. (39,206 stars, Apache-2.0)
- [GitHub](https://appsgit.com/mcp-servers/github): Connect AI assistants to GitHub - manage repos, issues, PRs, and workflows through natural language. (33,414 stars, MIT, official, needs API key)

---

Canonical page: https://appsgit.com/mcp-servers/geolens
Source: appsgit (https://appsgit.com), the app store for github. Data from the GitHub API, refreshed nightly.
Machine access: JSON API https://appsgit.com/api/v1/apps (OpenAPI: https://appsgit.com/openapi.json), MCP server https://mcp.appsgit.com/mcp, full index https://appsgit.com/llms-full.txt.