elevation-mcp-server

Look up elevation worldwide, profile route ascent/descent, grid areas, check terrain line of sight.

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What it can do

    What data it sees

    Do you need an account

    No: the server works without sign-in

    Look up elevation worldwide, profile route ascent/descent, grid areas, check terrain line of sight.

    How to connect

    How to connect elevation-mcp-server to Claude

    The server address to paste into Claude settings:

    https://elevation.caseyjhand.com/mcp

    1. Open Claude (claude.ai or the desktop app).
    2. Go to Settings → Connectors.
    3. Click Add custom connector.
    4. Paste the server address copied below into Remote MCP server URL and click Add.
    5. In a chat, click + → Connectors and switch the new connector on.

    Custom connectors are available on Free, Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise plans (Free is limited to one). On Team and Enterprise an organization Owner adds the connector first under Organization settings → Connectors.

    Authorization

    After you click Add, a sign-in window for the service opens. Sign in with your own account and approve access. Claude never sees your password.

    How to connect elevation-mcp-server to ChatGPT

    The server address to paste into ChatGPT settings:

    https://elevation.caseyjhand.com/mcp

    1. Open ChatGPT in a browser (chatgpt.com). A Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise or Edu plan is required.
    2. Turn on developer mode once: Settings → Apps → Advanced settings → Developer mode.
    3. Open Settings → Connectors and click Create.
    4. Fill in the form: Name (anything), Description (one line about what the service does), MCP server URL (copy it below).
    5. Under Authentication choose OAuth if the service requires sign-in, otherwise None. Click Create.
    6. In a new chat open + → Apps/Connectors and enable the connector.

    OpenAI has renamed this section before (Connectors → Apps/Plugins). If the label differs, search settings for "developer mode". On Business/Enterprise workspaces an admin must allow custom connectors first.

    Authorization

    On first use ChatGPT opens the service's sign-in window. Sign in and approve access.

    How to connect elevation-mcp-server to Cursor

    The server address to paste into Cursor settings:

    https://elevation.caseyjhand.com/mcp

    Fastest: click Open in Cursor below and confirm the prompt.

    Manually:

    1. In Cursor open Settings → Cursor Settings → MCP and click Add new global MCP server.
    2. Paste the JSON copied below into ~/.cursor/mcp.json (per project: .cursor/mcp.json in the repo root).
    3. Save the file. The server appears in the MCP list; authorize it there if asked.

    Authorization

    If the service needs sign-in, an authorize button appears next to the server in the MCP list.

    Server tool list (4)

    Raw names from tools/list. Only developers need these.

    elevation_get_pointsLook up ground elevation at up to 100 coordinates in one call, in meters and feet, with the dataset and resolution behind every point. Inside USGS 3DEP coverage (the US and its territories, plus much of Canada and Mexico) values come from 3DEP at 1–30 m resolution. Elsewhere they come from Open Topo Data: SRTM at about 30 m on land between 60°N and 56°S, and Mapzen terrain tiles beyond SRTM's coverage and over the ocean, where values below 0 m are sea-floor depths. A point with no data in any queried dataset returns status no_data instead of failing the call.
    elevation_get_profileSample terrain elevation at evenly spaced points along a route (a polyline of 2–1,000 vertices) and summarize it. Returns total distance, cumulative ascent and descent, start, end, minimum, and maximum elevation, and the steepest climb and descent grades, plus the per-sample profile with each sample's dataset unless include_samples is false. Ascent and descent are summed between samples, so they depend on the sample spacing reported in the result: denser sampling captures more small climbs, down to the source's resolution. Over open water, Mapzen samples are sea-floor depths. Each USGS 3DEP sample is a separate upstream request, so up to 250 samples take roughly 10–30 seconds.
    elevation_get_gridSample a regular grid of terrain elevations across a bounding box and report the highest and lowest sampled points, the mean elevation, and the relief, plus the full elevation matrix with each cell's dataset. Values are point samples at grid nodes (box edges included), not cell averages, so a summit between nodes is missed; to refine a candidate high or low point, call again with a smaller box around it. Over open water, Mapzen cells are sea-floor depths. Rows times columns may not exceed 250.
    elevation_check_line_of_sightCheck whether terrain blocks the straight sightline between an observer and a target, each at a height above the ground, accounting for earth curvature and atmospheric refraction. Returns a verdict of clear, blocked, or indeterminate (when samples along the line have no data), the minimum clearance and the terrain point that limits it, and the first obstruction from the observer when blocked. With frequency_mhz, it also reports first Fresnel zone clearance against the 60% free-space bar. Where Mapzen reports sea-floor depth over open water, clearance is measured to the sea surface; USGS 3DEP values below 0 m (bay floor in some bays, or dry land) count as received unless water_surface_m sets a water level. Models terrain only: buildings and vegetation are not modeled beyond what the elevation source itself captures, and a ridge narrower than the reported sample spacing can be missed. To see the terrain between the points, call elevation_get_profile on the same two points.