Overview
Lookup runs in two steps, both against bundled offline data. First the point given by `lat` and `lon` is placed in a country using country boundary polygons. Then the nearest entry in a US and Canada postal location dataset is found for that country, and its `city`, `state`, `state_abbr` and `zipcode` are returned. Coordinates in any other country are outside the dataset and are not supported.
Results are only as fine-grained as the dataset: the answer is the closest postal-code location, not the containing boundary, so points near a town or ZIP line can resolve to the neighbouring one. `latitudeClosest` and `longitudeClosest` are the matched location's coordinates, returned as strings, and `distance` is how far it lies from your point. `latitude` and `longitude` echo the input and `countryCode` is the two-letter code from the first step.
`nearestCities` is built by matching the resolved city name against a worldwide city list: it holds up to 20 unique city names that contain that name, such as Brooklyn Park and East Brooklyn for Brooklyn, in list order rather than by distance. `distance`, the closest coordinates, `estimatedCity` and `nearestCities` are null on the Free plan.
Live Test Reverse Geocode Skill Skill →
The tool
Once your client is connected to the VerveKit server, this appears in its tool list as ReverseGeocodeSkill. It is read-only and open-world — it fetches and never mutates anything on your side — so most clients call it without asking you to confirm.
{
"name": "ReverseGeocodeSkill",
"arguments": {
"lat": "40.714224",
"lon": "-73.961452"
}
}You do not name the tool yourself; the model picks it. Asking about 40.714224 in the terms this skill covers is enough for it to reach for ReverseGeocodeSkill on its own — naming it explicitly also works, and is the way to force the call.
Connecting
One server URL covers every skill in the catalog, including this one. Authorization is OAuth: the client opens a browser once, and there is no key to paste into a config file.
{
"mcpServers": {
"vervekit": {
"url": "https://api.vervekit.com/v1/mcp"
}
}
}https://api.vervekit.com/v1/mcpPer-client setup — Claude, Cursor, VS Code, ChatGPT — is on the MCP setup page.
Arguments
These are the properties on the tool's inputSchema, so a well-behaved client validates them before the call is made. Premium arguments are accepted on every plan but only take effect on plans that include them.
| Argument | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
latRequired | number | The latitude of the coordinates range -90–90 |
lonRequired | number | The longitude of the coordinates range -180–180 |
geocodesOptionalPremium | boolean | Add a geocodes object with the point's geohash, plus code (Open Location Code) and degrees-minutes-seconds notation |
What the model gets back
The result carries a structuredContent object matching the tool's declared outputSchema, so a client reads fields without parsing prose. status is "ok" and error is null on success; a null field means the value was not available for that input, not that the call failed.
{
"status": "ok",
"error": null,
"data": {
"zipcode": "11211",
"state_abbr": "NY",
"city": "Brooklyn",
"state": "New York",
"distance": 0.6501757300758664,
"latitudeClosest": "40.712090",
"longitudeClosest": "-73.95427",
"countryCode": "US",
"latitude": 40.714224,
"longitude": -73.961452,
"estimatedCity": true,
"nearestCities": [
"Brooklyn",
"Brooklyn Park",
"East Brooklyn",
"Brooklyn Center",
"Brooklyn Heights"
],
"timezone": "America/New_York",
"county": "Kings County",
"countyFips": "36047",
"geocodes": {
"geohash": "dr5rsgyct",
"plusCode": "87G8P27Q+MC",
"dms": {
"latitude": "40°42'51.2\"N",
"longitude": "73°57'41.2\"W"
}
}
}
}
Response fields
Paths are relative to data. Premium fields are absent rather than zeroed on plans that do not include them, so check for presence instead of comparing to 0.
| Field | Type | Example | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
zipcode | string | 11211 | ZIP code for the location |
state_abbr | string | NY | Two-letter state abbreviation code |
city | string | Brooklyn | Primary city name at coordinates |
state | string | New York | Full state name |
distancePremium | number | 0.6501757300758664 | Distance to closest coordinates in miles |
latitudeClosestPremium | string | 40.712090 | Latitude of closest mapped coordinate |
longitudeClosestPremium | string | -73.95427 | Longitude of closest mapped coordinate |
countryCode | string | US | ISO country code for location |
latitude | number | 40.714224 | Input latitude coordinate |
longitude | number | -73.961452 | Input longitude coordinate |
estimatedCityPremium | boolean | true | Whether city is estimated or exact match |
nearestCitiesPremium | array | ["Brooklyn","Brooklyn Park","East Brooklyn"] | List of nearby cities ordered by proximity |
timezone | string | America/New_York | IANA time zone at the requested coordinates (e.g., America/New_York) |
county | string | Kings County | Primary county of the matched ZIP code (US only, null elsewhere) The county holding most of the matched ZIP code's land, from the Census 2020 ZCTA-to-county file. A point in a ZIP that crosses a county line can sit in a neighbouring county. |
countyFipsPremium | string | 36047 | Five-digit FIPS code of that county (US only) |
geocodesPremium | object | {…} | Encodings of the requested point (only when geocodes=true) |
geocodes.geohashPremium | string | dr5rsgyct | 9-character geohash (about 5 m precision) |
geocodes.plusCodePremium | string | 87G8P27Q+MC | 10-digit global plus code (Open Location Code, about 14 m precision), e.g., 87G8P27Q+MC |
geocodes.dmsPremium | object | {…} | Latitude and longitude in degrees, minutes and seconds |
geocodes.dms.latitudePremium | string | 40°42'51.2"N | Latitude in DMS notation, e.g., 40°42'51.2"N |
geocodes.dms.longitudePremium | string | 73°57'41.2"W | Longitude in DMS notation, e.g., 73°57'41.2"W |
Failure modes
Errors come back as tool errors carrying a sentence the model can act on, not a bare status code. Error handling covers the full list.
| Status | What it means |
|---|---|
400 / 422 | The arguments did not validate. The message names the offending one. |
401 | The OAuth session is invalid or expired — reconnect the server. |
403 | Blocked by a key restriction or an IP allow-list. Never a bad identity. |
404 | This skill is not part of VerveKit. Check the catalog. |
429 | Out of credits, or a brief rate limit. The message tells them apart. |
A call costs 6 credits each time the tool actually runs; a model that reasons about the tool without calling it costs nothing.
Use cases
- Fleet Telematics Tracking
- Logistics systems match vehicle GPS pings against city and state boundaries to generate human-readable trip summaries for dispatchers.
- Mobile Photo Geotagging
- Camera apps read coordinate metadata from uploaded photos to display the city and state where each picture was taken.
- Delivery Address Autofill
- When a customer shares device coordinates at checkout, ecommerce apps automatically populate the city, state, and ZIP code fields.
- Field Service Dispatch
- To assign incoming repair tickets, maintenance platforms convert technician coordinates into local municipality names and postal codes.
Other ways to use Reverse Geocode Skill
Set up Reverse Geocode Skill on VerveKit, or reach the same source a different way. Your VerveKit account and credits work on all of them — one key, one balance.
Related
More in Geography: