How to Use the Foursquare MCP in Claude Code

Q: How do I install the Foursquare MCP Server in Claude Code?

Run the command claude mcp add --transport http foursquare-mcp -- . The configuration is saved to your local /.claude.json file, granting immediate command-line MCP access.

Q: Can I check category taxonomies from the command line?

Yes, the agent can call listvenuecategories to fetch the complete Foursquare taxonomy. It dumps the structured categories directly to your terminal, making it easy to check category IDs.

Q: How does Claude Code protect my Foursquare API credentials?

Your credentials are encrypted locally in your /.claude.json configuration and never exposed to the public internet. Connection requests to the Foursquare API are processed through secure, ephemeral V8 isolates on Vinkius, leaving no persistent logs of your POI coordinates or venue queries.

Run headless Foursquare location queries and pipe POI data directly into your terminal using Claude Code.

See Vinkius in Action

Works with every AI agent you already use

…and any MCP-compatible client

MCP Servers - Free for Subscribers

Connect Foursquare MCP to Claude Code

Create your Vinkius account to connect Foursquare to Claude Code and route execution through our secure gateway. The platform manages server hosting, runtime updates, and security layers. Configuration requires no manual server provisioning.

GDPR Free for Subscribers

Setup Foursquare with Claude Code

Ask AI about this MCP

ChatGPT

Claude

Perplexity

Headless spatial queries via Claude Code

This MCP Server lets you run complex spatial lookups directly from your Claude Code terminal session. By invoking `search_places` and `search_within_radius`, Claude Code queries millions of POIs and dumps clean JSON payloads that you can immediately pipe into local scripts. You don't need to open a browser or write scratchpads to test Foursquare queries in Claude Code. Just tell the CLI agent what you need, and it uses `search_within_polygon` to extract geofenced data points, allowing you to debug spatial queries in real time.

Terminal-driven venue data extraction

Claude Code acts as a command-line pipeline for enriching local datasets with structured venue metadata. It invokes `get_place_details` to pull schema properties and writes migrations to update your database records without leaving the terminal. When debugging user review integrations, you can have Claude Code fetch live content on the fly. It executes `get_place_tips` to pull raw review text and `get_place_photos` to verify image URLs, letting you pipe live assets directly into your terminal output.

Automate data validation in your terminal

Clean up coordinate lists and resolve duplicates using automated terminal scripts in Claude Code. The CLI agent runs `match_venue_exactly` to reconcile local records against Foursquare's canonical graph, outputting diffs directly into your shell. Claude Code also uses `list_venue_categories` to export the taxonomy rules and `autocomplete_venues` to test typeahead responses. This lets you verify search performance and category mapping directly inside your terminal-based CI/CD pipelines.

Setup guide

Set up Foursquare MCP in Claude Code

Prerequisites

Claude Code CLI installed (npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code)
Active Vinkius subscription with a valid endpoint token

1

Run the add command

Open your terminal and run the command shown on the right. Replace [YOUR_TOKEN_HERE] with your endpoint token from cloud.vinkius.com. Use --scope user to make it available across all projects.
2

Verify the connection

Start a Claude Code session and type /mcp to list connected servers. You should see foursquare-mcp with a green status indicator.
3

Start using tools

Ask Claude Code something like "Check my latest Foursquare transactions." It will automatically discover and invoke the available Foursquare tools.

Terminal

claude mcp add --transport http foursquare-mcp https://edge.vinkius.com/[YOUR_TOKEN_HERE]/mcp

Get your connection token →

Prerequisites

Claude Code CLI installed
Active Vinkius subscription with a valid endpoint token

1

Open the config file

Create or edit .mcp.json in your project root for project-level scope, or ~/.claude.json for user-level scope.
2

Add the Foursquare MCP

Paste the JSON snippet shown on the right into the mcpServers object. Replace [YOUR_TOKEN_HERE] with your endpoint token from cloud.vinkius.com.
3

Restart Claude Code

Start a new Claude Code session. Type /mcp to confirm the server is connected. The tools will be automatically available in your conversation.

.mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "foursquare-mcp": {
      "type": "url",
      "url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/[YOUR_TOKEN_HERE]/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Get your connection token →

Independent Platform Disclaimer: Vinkius is an independent platform and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, verified by, or otherwise authorized by Foursquare. All third-party trademarks, logos, and brand names are the property of their respective owners. Their use on this website is strictly for informational purposes to identify service compatibility and interoperability.

Why Choose Vinkius

Vinkius connects your tools to AI with real-time monitoring and automatic cost savings — all from one dashboard.

Connect Foursquare now

Real-time monitoring

Live

visibility into every interaction

Connect your favorite tools to your AI and see exactly what's happening — every request, every response, in real time.

Built-in savings

60%

lower AI costs

Vinkius compresses data between your apps and your AI automatically. Lower bills every month — no configuration required.

Single dashboard

One

place for every integration

Every tool your AI connects to, managed from a single screen. One account, complete control.

Common questions about Foursquare MCP in Claude Code

You ask Claude Code to search for venues in a specific area. The CLI agent calls `search_places` or `search_within_radius` and outputs the raw JSON coordinate data directly into your terminal session.

Yes, you can instruct the CLI agent to format the outputs of `get_place_details` as clean JSON. You can then pipe that output directly into tools like jq, curl, or your own local database import scripts.

Run the command `claude mcp add --transport http foursquare-mcp -- `. The configuration is saved to your local `~/.claude.json` file, granting immediate command-line MCP access.

Yes, the agent can call `list_venue_categories` to fetch the complete Foursquare taxonomy. It dumps the structured categories directly to your terminal, making it easy to check category IDs.

Your credentials are encrypted locally in your `~/.claude.json` configuration and never exposed to the public internet. Connection requests to the Foursquare API are processed through secure, ephemeral V8 isolates on Vinkius, leaving no persistent logs of your POI coordinates or venue queries.

Use it with your favorite AI tools

Connect this server to Cursor, Claude, VS Code, and more.

OpenAI Agents SDK sdk-python

Google ADK sdk-python

Pydantic AI sdk-python

Vercel AI SDK sdk-typescript