Do I need an API key?

No! Nominatim is completely free and requires no authentication. It's powered by the OpenStreetMap community. Just subscribe and start searching. Rate limit is 1 request per second.

How accurate is the geocoding?

Nominatim uses OpenStreetMap data, which is crowd-sourced and varies by region. Urban areas typically have very accurate results. Use addressdetails=1 to get structured address components and namedetails=1 for multi-language names.

Can I convert coordinates to an address?

Yes! Use reverse_geocode with latitude and longitude. Returns the nearest address with street name, house number, city, state, postal code and country. Supports different zoom levels for varying detail granularity.

What is an OSM ID and how do I use it?

OSM IDs are unique identifiers for OpenStreetMap objects: N for nodes (points), W for ways (lines/areas), R for relations (groups). Use lookup_osm with IDs like 'W123456' or 'N987654'. Use get_details for comprehensive info on a single object.

Nominatim MCP Server for VS Code Copilot 5 tools — connect in under 2 minutes

Name: Nominatim
Availability: InStock
Author: Vinkius

code.visualstudio.com/docs/copilot/chat/mcp-servers

Built by Vinkius GDPR 5 Tools IDE

GitHub Copilot in VS Code is the most widely adopted AI coding assistant, embedded directly into the world's most popular code editor. With MCP support in Agent mode, Copilot can access external data and APIs to generate context-aware code grounded in real-time information.

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Vinkius supports streamable HTTP and SSE.

RecommendedModern Approach — Zero Configuration

Vinkius Desktop App

The modern way to manage MCP Servers — no config files, no terminal commands. Install Nominatim and 2,500+ MCP Servers from a single visual interface.

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Classic Setup·json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "nominatim": {
      "url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/[YOUR_TOKEN_HERE]/mcp"
    }
  }
}

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Stream every event to Splunk, Datadog, or your own webhook in real-time

* Every MCP server runs on Vinkius-managed infrastructure inside AWS - a purpose-built runtime with per-request V8 isolates, Ed25519 signed audit chains, and sub-40ms cold starts optimized for native MCP execution. See our infrastructure

About Nominatim MCP Server

Connect to Nominatim and search the world's most comprehensive open-source geographic database through natural conversation — no API key needed.

GitHub Copilot Agent mode brings Nominatim data directly into your VS Code workflow. With a project-scoped config, the entire team shares access to 5 tools. Copilot queries live data, generates typed code, and writes tests from actual API responses, all without leaving the editor.

What you can do

Address Search — Find any place by name, address or type of place (restaurants, schools, hospitals)
Reverse Geocoding — Convert GPS coordinates to human-readable addresses
OSM Lookup — Look up detailed info for any OpenStreetMap object by its ID
Structured Addresses — Get detailed address components (street, city, state, postal code, country)
Multi-language Names — Retrieve place names in different languages
Bounding Boxes — Get geographic boundaries for cities, countries and regions

The Nominatim MCP Server exposes 5 tools through the Vinkius. Connect it to VS Code Copilot in under two minutes — no API keys to rotate, no infrastructure to provision, no vendor lock-in. Your configuration, your data, your control.

How to Connect Nominatim to VS Code Copilot via MCP

Follow these steps to integrate the Nominatim MCP Server with VS Code Copilot.

Create MCP config

Create a .vscode/mcp.json file in your project root

Add the server config

Paste the JSON configuration above

Enable Agent mode

Open GitHub Copilot Chat and switch to Agent mode using the dropdown

Start using Nominatim

Ask Copilot: "Using Nominatim, help me...". 5 tools available

Why Use VS Code Copilot with the Nominatim MCP Server

GitHub Copilot for Visual Studio Code provides unique advantages when paired with Nominatim through the Model Context Protocol.

VS Code is used by over 70% of developers. adding MCP tools to Copilot means your team can leverage external data without leaving their primary editor

Project-scoped MCP configs (`.vscode/mcp.json`) let you commit server configurations to your repository, ensuring the entire team shares the same tool access

Copilot's Agent mode integrates MCP tools seamlessly with file editing, terminal commands, and workspace search in a single agentic loop

GitHub's enterprise compliance and audit features extend to MCP tool usage, providing visibility into how AI interacts with external services

Nominatim + VS Code Copilot Use Cases

Practical scenarios where VS Code Copilot combined with the Nominatim MCP Server delivers measurable value.

Live API integration: Copilot can query an MCP server, inspect the response schema, and generate typed API client code in the same step

DevSecOps workflows: security teams can give developers access to domain intelligence tools directly in their editor for real-time vulnerability assessment during code review

Data pipeline development: Copilot fetches sample data via MCP and generates transformation scripts, validators, and test fixtures from actual API responses

Documentation generation: Copilot queries available tools and auto-generates README sections, API reference docs, and usage examples

Nominatim MCP Tools for VS Code Copilot (5)

These 5 tools become available when you connect Nominatim to VS Code Copilot via MCP:

get_details

Returns the object's full name, display name, place rank, importance score, bounding box, parent place hierarchy, linked Wikipedia/Wikidata articles and optional extratags. OSM type: N (node), W (way), R (relation). Get detailed info for an OSM object

get_status

Returns status message and response latency. Useful for verifying the service is operational before making other requests. Get Nominatim server status

lookup_osm

IDs are formatted as "type{id}" where type is N (node), W (way) or R (relation). Multiple IDs are comma-separated. Returns the object's display name, coordinates, bounding box and properties. Look up OSM objects by ID

reverse_geocode

Returns the nearest address, city, state, country and other location details. Supports different zoom levels for varying detail granularity. Convert coordinates to an address

search

Returns results with coordinates, bounding box, display name, address components and OSM type/id. Supports structured searches with country codes and viewbox for region prioritization. Rate limited to 1 request/second. Search for places by name or address

Example Prompts for Nominatim in VS Code Copilot

Ready-to-use prompts you can give your VS Code Copilot agent to start working with Nominatim immediately.

"Find the coordinates for the Eiffel Tower."

"What address is at coordinates 40.7128, -74.0060?"

"Search for 'Central Park' and show me its bounding box."

Troubleshooting Nominatim MCP Server with VS Code Copilot

Common issues when connecting Nominatim to VS Code Copilot through the Vinkius, and how to resolve them.

MCP tools not available

Ensure you are in Agent mode in Copilot Chat. MCP tools only appear in Agent mode.

Nominatim + VS Code Copilot FAQ

Common questions about integrating Nominatim MCP Server with VS Code Copilot.

Which VS Code version supports MCP?

MCP support requires VS Code 1.99 or later with the GitHub Copilot extension. Ensure both are updated to the latest version. Older versions of Copilot may not expose the Agent mode toggle.

How do I switch to Agent mode?

Open the Copilot Chat panel and look for two mode options: "Ask" and "Agent". Click "Agent" to enable autonomous tool calling. In Ask mode, Copilot provides conversational answers but cannot invoke MCP tools.

Can I restrict which MCP tools Copilot can access?

Yes. VS Code shows a tool consent dialog before any MCP tool is invoked for the first time. You can also configure tool access policies at the organization level through GitHub Copilot settings.

Does MCP work in VS Code Remote or Codespaces?

Yes. MCP servers configured via .vscode/mcp.json work in Remote SSH, WSL, and GitHub Codespaces environments. The MCP connection is established from the remote host, so ensure the server URL is accessible from that environment.