Find places in OpenStreetMap and review road edits from your local GPX surveys through an MCP-compatible assistant.
Alpha, review-first: nothing is edited automatically. Road changes need an authenticated OSM account, an exact preview and separate confirmation.
You need Python 3.10+, uv, and an MCP client that supports local stdio servers. No repository clone, Docker, API key or Valhalla installation is needed for place search.
Add this server to your client's MCP configuration (merge it with any existing servers), then reconnect:
{
"mcpServers": {
"osm-edit": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": ["osm-edit-mcp"],
"env": {
"OSM_TOOL_PROFILE": "discovery"
}
}
}
}The client downloads the released package on first launch and starts it for you. This profile exposes only three read-only place-search tools and needs no OAuth. Searches use public OSM services and send the search area/query to them.
Try asking your assistant:
Find museums and parks within 1 km of Matenadaran in Yerevan. Show OSM links.
Clients with a configuration form: command uvx, argument
osm-edit-mcp, environment OSM_TOOL_PROFILE=discovery.
If the client cannot find uvx, use its absolute path. See
client setup or Hermes setup.
You can also start the server from a terminal:
uvx osm-edit-mcpIt waits for an MCP client; it is not an interactive terminal app or website. The bare command uses the default full profile, unlike the discovery-only configuration above.
Keep the same command and args; replace the server's env above with:
{
"OSM_TOOL_PROFILE": "full",
"OSM_USE_DEV_API": "true",
"OSM_WRITE_PROFILE": "safe",
"OSM_REQUIRE_HOST_CONFIRMATION": "true"
}Reconnect, then call get_edit_capabilities to check the selected API and
authentication status. This enables GPX tools and the review-first workflow on
the development sandbox; it does not log you in or authorize an edit.
To make edits: register a development OSM OAuth app and authenticate it with
the source checkout's oauth_auth.py --dev helper, following the
authentication guide.
Keep credentials in a private file, not in this JSON or chat. Once the guide's
private file contains the profile/API settings, replace env with only
OSM_EDIT_MCP_ENV_FILE pointing to that file; do not leave conflicting settings
in both places. Preview the proposal, review it, and confirm its exact digest.
Real-map edits need a separate production app/configuration, development
acceptance first, and an MCP host that supports confirmation (elicitation).
| What you want to do | What to configure, and why |
|---|---|
| Inspect a GPX and preview a selected section | No OAuth. Set OSM_TRACK_IMPORT_DIR to your private GPX folder, or supply inline GPX XML. |
| Find candidate roads | Uses the selected editing API. The dev sandbox is not a copy of the real map. |
| Preview a road-edit diff | Set up OSM OAuth: the proposal is bound to your account and API target even before any write. |
| Apply an edit | Review the exact proposal and confirm its digest separately in the MCP client. Production needs a host that supports elicitation. |
| Optionally match a track to a routing graph | Run local Valhalla with regional routing tiles. Skip this if you do not need matching; nothing installs it automatically. |
A selected-track preview is not an OSM edit proposal. Start with the working GPX example. Before editing, follow the OAuth and production guide. Never treat one GPS trace as ground truth.
Full guide and examples · Nearby search · Optional Valhalla · Troubleshooting · Changelog
Contributing · Security · MIT license. OSM edits must also follow community guidelines and source-licensing requirements.