Place Root MCP Server

PlaceRoot grounds AI agents in open map data. It's an MCP server that answers spatial questions - what's nearby, what's in this neighborhood, how do I get there - from Overture Maps open data. No API key, no signup, no vendor platform. It runs locally over stdio via the published package.

People connecting database tools to Claude, Cursor, VS Code, or another MCP client. The project is written in Python.

VERIFIED ACTIVE

LAST COMMIT 2026-08-25 · ★ 2 · #35 OF 151 MAINTAINED DATABASE · VERIFIED 2026-08-25

MIT · Python servers · how we verify → /methodology

01 · Install Place Root

before you install - you'll need

Set PLACEROOT_RECREATION_LAYER before connecting.

Claude Code

claude mcp add chuofringer-placeroot -- npx -y placeroot

Claude Desktop / Cursor / VS Code - add to config

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "chuofringer-placeroot": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "placeroot"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Same JSON for Cursor. For VS Code, rename the top-level key from `mcpServers` to `servers`.

Using another client? Same JSON, different key

Claude Desktop · mcpServers

Cursor · mcpServers

VS Code · servers

Windsurf · mcpServers

Zed · context_servers

Cline · mcpServers

Roo Code · mcpServers

Continue · mcpServers

LibreChat · mcpServers

Gemini CLI · mcpServers

Codex CLI · mcp_servers

Full setup guides: every client.

02 · Evidence

Security posture

What to check before giving this server access to your agent - from the registry, GitHub, and our own probes. We don't score safety; we show what's verifiable.

runs as local process (stdio) - runs on your machine with your user's permissions

repo age created 2026-08-06 - young repo, little track record yet

license MIT - declared in the repository

npm package placeroot - unscoped; check the name against the project README before installing

registry namespace io.github.chuofringer is GitHub-verified and matches the repo owner

03 · What Place Root can do

Prose above is summarized from the project's README and registry record - no invented capabilities.

Latest releases

v0.9.9 · 2026-08-23

Fixed · the published 0.9.8 wheel (42.7 MB) and sdist (87 MB) carried · the previous Overture release's bundled artifacts alongside the pinned · one - the pin bump added 2026-08-19.0's three artifact sets without…

v0.9.8 · 2026-08-23

Added · suggest_areas: inverse area search (#305 - #348/#349/#350). "Where · within 25 min by bike of my office has parks and groceries?" - each · anchor's isochrone shed, intersected when there are several (an area…

v0.9.7 · 2026-08-15

Immune to a polluted path, and honest about privacy · A field report from a Claude Desktop install - find_places failing with No module named 'placeroot.data' while every sibling tool worked - traced to environment…

04 · Who maintains Place Root

PlaceRoot is maintained by chuofringer. It's the only MCP server we track from this author; the repo dates to Aug 2026.

05 · Facts

repository: github.com/chuofringer/placeroot
website: https://placeroot.dev/
category: database - ranked #35 of 151 actively-maintained database servers as of 2026-08-25.
release cadence: 10+ releases in the last 90 days (latest 2026-08-23)
registry: io.github.chuofringer/placeroot (active, first published 2026-08-14 · 4 versions)
packages: pypi:placeroot · npm:placeroot · pypi:placeroot

06 · Place Root FAQ

What is Place Root?

Is Place Root still maintained?

Yes - as of 2026-08-25, its last commit was 2026-08-25 and it shipped 10+ releases in the last 90 days. We re-verify nightly.

How do I install Place Root?

Run `npx -y placeroot`. The README documents one environment variable (PLACEROOT_RECREATION_LAYER) to set first. Set PLACEROOT_RECREATION_LAYER before connecting. You can also paste the ready-made client config above.

Does Place Root run locally?

Yes - it's a stdio server: it runs on your machine (via npx) with your user's permissions. Your data stays local unless the server itself calls external APIs.

07 · Alternatives to Place Root

Alternatives to Place Root

Maintained database servers if Place Root isn't the fit.

Pairs well with

Servers that cover what Place Root doesn't - only shown when the pairing reason fits the companion.

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