Claude Code Integration Guide

November 5, 2025 · View on GitHub

This guide shows how to integrate the Mapbox MCP DevKit Server with Claude Code for enhanced development workflows.

Prerequisites

  • Claude Code CLI installed
  • A Mapbox account with an access token
  • Node.js 22 or higher (for local development)

Installation

Get Your Mapbox Access Token

  1. Sign up for a free Mapbox account at mapbox.com/signup
  2. Navigate to your Account page
  3. Create a new token with the required scopes for your use case

For more information about Mapbox access tokens, see the Mapbox documentation on access tokens.

⚠️ CRITICAL: Token Scopes Required

Each Mapbox tool requires specific token scopes/privileges to function. Using a token without the correct scope will result in authentication errors. Before using any tool, ensure your token has the required scopes:

  • Style operations: Require styles:read, styles:write, styles:list, or styles:download scopes
  • Token management: Requires tokens:read and tokens:write scopes
  • Style previews: Require tokens:read scope and at least one public token with styles:read scope

See the Token Requirements section below for detailed scope information for each tool.

Configuration

Install Claude Code

Follow the installation instructions at Claude Code documentation to set up the CLI.

Configure Claude Code

Add the MCP server directly from the command line:

claude mcp add mapbox-devkit npx @mapbox/mcp-devkit-server -e MAPBOX_ACCESS_TOKEN=<YOUR_TOKEN>

Replace <YOUR_TOKEN> with your actual Mapbox access token.

Option 2: Manual Configuration - NPM Package

  1. Configure the MCP server in your Claude Code settings
  2. Add the Mapbox MCP DevKit Server configuration:

Add to your Claude Code MCP configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mapbox-devkit": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@mapbox/mcp-devkit-server"],
      "env": {
        "MAPBOX_ACCESS_TOKEN": "your_token_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Option 3: Docker Runtime

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mapbox-devkit": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "-i",
        "--rm",
        "-e",
        "MAPBOX_ACCESS_TOKEN=your_token_here",
        "mapbox-mcp-devkit"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Option 4: Local Development

If you want to use a local version (need to clone and build from this repo):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mapbox-devkit": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/mapbox-mcp-devkit/dist/esm/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "MAPBOX_ACCESS_TOKEN": "your_token_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Usage Examples

Once configured, you can use natural language to interact with Mapbox development tools:

Style Management

  • "List all my Mapbox styles"
  • "Create a new style called 'Dark Mode' with a basic dark theme"
  • "Update the style with ID 'xyz' to change the water color to blue"
  • "Generate a preview URL for my style"

Token Management

  • "Create a new token for my web app with styles:read and fonts:read permissions"
  • "List all my public tokens"
  • "Show me my default public token"

GeoJSON Processing

  • "Calculate the bounding box of this GeoJSON data"
  • "Generate a preview URL for this GeoJSON file"
  • "Convert coordinates from WGS84 to Web Mercator"

Development Workflows

  • "Help me debug this Mapbox style configuration"
  • "Generate a complete Mapbox GL JS example with my style"
  • "Create a token with the minimum required scopes for my application"

First Use

Tool Access Approval

When you first use the tools, Claude Code will show available MCP tools. The Mapbox DevKit tools will be automatically available once configured.

Verify Installation

Check that the Mapbox tools are working:

# Example command to test the connection
claude "List my Mapbox styles"

Development Integration

Code Generation

Claude Code can help generate Mapbox-related code using the MCP tools:

  • "Generate a React component that displays my Mapbox style"
  • "Create a Next.js page with an interactive map using my custom style"
  • "Write TypeScript interfaces for my Mapbox API responses"

API Testing

Use Claude Code to test and debug Mapbox API interactions:

  • "Test my style API endpoints and show me the responses"
  • "Help me debug why my token doesn't have the right permissions"
  • "Validate this GeoJSON data and suggest improvements"

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

  1. Token not found error:

    • Verify your MAPBOX_ACCESS_TOKEN is set correctly in the configuration
    • Check that the token has the required scopes for the operation

  2. Server connection issues:

    • Ensure Node.js version is 22 or higher (for NPM package option)
    • Check your internet connection for npm package downloads
    • Restart Claude Code after configuration changes

  3. Permission errors:

    • Verify your token has the correct scopes (see main README for scope requirements)
    • Some operations require secret tokens (starting with sk.)

Debug Mode

Enable verbose error reporting by adding the environment variable:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mapbox-devkit": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@mapbox/mcp-devkit-server"],
      "env": {
        "MAPBOX_ACCESS_TOKEN": "your_token_here",
        "VERBOSE_ERRORS": "true"
      }
    }
  }
}

This will provide detailed error messages to help diagnose issues.

Token Requirements

⚠️ Each tool requires specific token scopes. Authentication will fail if your token lacks the required privileges.

Different tools require different scopes:

Style Tools

  • List styles: styles:list scope
  • Create/Update styles: styles:write scope
  • Retrieve styles: styles:download scope
  • Delete styles: styles:write scope
  • Preview styles: tokens:read scope and at least one public token with styles:read scope

Token Management Tools

  • List tokens: tokens:read scope
  • Create tokens: tokens:write scope

Local Processing Tools

These tools work locally and don't require specific token scopes:

  • Bounding box calculation
  • GeoJSON preview generation
  • Coordinate conversion

Best Practices

  1. Token Security:

    • Use environment variables for tokens
    • Create restricted tokens for specific domains
    • Regularly rotate tokens used in production

  2. Development Workflow:

    • Use the NPM package for consistent updates
    • Enable verbose errors during development
    • Test with different token scopes for your use case
    • Leverage Claude Code's code generation for rapid prototyping

  3. Performance:

    • Use appropriate pagination for large datasets
    • Cache frequently accessed styles and tokens
    • Consider using Docker for consistent environments across team members

  4. Code Quality:

    • Use Claude Code to generate well-documented code examples
    • Ask for TypeScript definitions and error handling
    • Request tests and validation for generated code

Advanced Usage

Custom Workflows

Create custom development workflows by combining multiple tools:

# Example: Complete style development workflow
claude "Create a new Mapbox style called 'My App Theme', generate a preview URL, and show me how to integrate it in a React app"

Batch Operations

Perform multiple operations efficiently:

# Example: Token management workflow
claude "List all my tokens, create a new restricted token for localhost development, and show me the security best practices"

Integration with Existing Projects

Use Claude Code to integrate Mapbox tools into your existing codebase:

# Example: Project integration
claude "Analyze my existing map component and suggest how to integrate custom Mapbox styles from my account"