In-depth architectural comparison of the Attack Surface MCP Server and Codealive MCP MCP servers. Compare execution transports, security boundaries, tool capabilities, quality scores, and ready-to-paste client installation snippets for Claude, Cursor, Windsurf, and VS Code.
At a Glance & Executive Verdict
Attack Surface MCP Server
Developer Tools · Local stdio
Quality: 52/100 (Good) | Auth: No auth required
Codealive MCP
Developer Tools · Local stdio
Quality: 48/100 (Fair) | Auth: No auth required
Verdict Summary: Choose Attack Surface MCP Server if you need specialized Developer Tools tools running via a local process. Choose Codealive MCP if your workspace requires Developer Tools integration with local subprocess execution. Both servers can be configured concurrently in your client's mcpServers manifest.
Which MCP Server Should You Choose?
Choose Attack Surface MCP Server when:
You need dedicated capabilities in the Developer Tools domain.
You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).
Flagship workflow. Maps a domain's external surface end to end: CT-log subdomain discovery → DNS liveness → (standard+) DNS records, TLS posture, HTTP headers/tech → optional RDAP/WHOIS → (thorough + key) per-IP Shodan enrichment. Returns a structured surface map and a defensive assessment of obser…
attacksurface_enumerate_subdomains
Passive subdomain discovery from Certificate Transparency logs (crt.sh → Certspotter → TLS-SAN fallback chain), with DNS resolution to mark which names are live. Per-source provenance; no DNS brute-forcing.
attacksurface_resolve_dns
Resolve and enumerate DNS records (A/AAAA/CNAME/MX/NS/TXT/CAA) for one or more hosts across multiple public resolvers, with optional reverse DNS (PTR). Per-resolver values surface propagation gaps.
attacksurface_inspect_tls
Inspect TLS/SSL posture via a real read-only handshake: protocol, cipher, full certificate chain, SANs, validity window, days-to-expiry, issuer, validation status. Reports invalid/expired/self-signed certs instead of failing.
Ready-to-Paste Client Configurations
Paste either (or both) of these JSON server blocks into your client config file (e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json).
Attack Surface MCP Server is categorized under Developer Tools and uses a local stdio subprocess. In contrast, Codealive MCP belongs to Developer Tools using local stdio subprocess. Select Attack Surface MCP Server when you need capabilities focused on developer tools and Codealive MCP when you require tools for developer tools.
Passive HTTP(S) probe: one GET following redirects. Returns status, redirect chain, headers, a security-header audit (HSTS/CSP/X-Frame-Options/cookie flags/CORS reflection), and an evidence-bound technology fingerprint.
attacksurface_lookup_registration
Registration and ownership lookup via RDAP (JSON; WHOIS fallback). A domain returns registrar, status, lifecycle events, nameservers, DNSSEC; an IP/CIDR returns netblock, allocation CIDRs, origin ASN, country.
attacksurface_lookup_host
Infrastructure intelligence for a single IP (open ports, banners, software versions, ASN, geo) or a faceted internet-wide search, via Shodan. **Requires `SHODAN_API_KEY`** — returns a typed `source_unavailable` error when unset; the rest of the server is unaffected.
attacksurface_recon_guidance
Offline synthesis over findings gathered so far. Returns a prioritized **defensive** review plan plus pre-filled follow-up calls (which certs to renew, which hosts to inspect, which software versions to check for CVEs against an external NVD/OSV server). No external calls.
Codealive MCP Tools (0)
No explicit tool names declared in metadata yet. Check project README on main listing page.