MCP Shodan vs Domain Security
A side-by-side look at the MCP Shodan and Domain Security MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose MCP Shodan for security work as a local process; choose Domain Security for security as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose MCP Shodan when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Security domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: API key required.
- You have the keys it needs:
SHODAN_API_KEY. - You want tools like
ip_lookup, ip, shodan_search.
Choose Domain Security when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Security domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You want tools like
email_auth_audit, spf_check, dmarc_check.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Security | Security |
| Quality signal | 68/100 · Great | 63/100 · Good |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | API key required | Not declared |
| Pricing | BYOK (pay the provider) | Not declared |
| Required env vars | SHODAN_API_KEY | None listed |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 178 | 1 |
| Directory activity | 4 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 1 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 22 | 19 |
| Full listing | View MCP Shodan | View Domain Security |
Tools & capabilities
MCP Shodan tools 22
ip_lookupipshodan_searchquerymax_resultscve_lookupcvedns_lookuphostnamesreverse_dns_lookupipscpe_lookup- +10 more on the listing page
Domain Security tools 19
email_auth_auditHeadline tool. Audits a domain's email-authentication posture in one call — SPF, DKIM, DMARC and MX — then returns a 0–100 score, an A–F grade and a prioritised list of fixes. Use this first; reach for the per-record tools (spf_check, dmarc_check, dkim_check) only when you need the full detail of one mechanism. Args: - domain (string): the domain to audit. - dkim_selectors (string[], optional): DKIM selectors to probe. If omitted, common provider selectors are tried (absence is then inconclusive). - response_format ('markdown' | 'json'): output format (default 'markdown'). Returns (JSON): { "domain": string, "grade": "A".."F", "score": number, // 0-100 "has_mx": boolean, "mx_hosts": string[], "spf": { found, record, all_qualifier, lookup_count, exceeds_lookup_limit, findings[] }, "dmarc":{ found, policy, tags, findings[] }, "dkim": { any_found, selectors[], findings[] }, "top_recommendations": string[] } Examples: - "Is example.com protected against email spoofing?" -> email_auth_audit(domain="example.com") - "Audit acme.com, our DKIM selector is 'k1'" -> email_auth_audit(domain="acme.com", dkim_selectors=["k1"]) Errors: returns an error only if the domain is malformed; missing records are reported as findings, not errors.spf_checkFetch and analyse a domain's SPF record. Detects: missing/multiple records, the trailing 'all' qualifier (+all/?all/~all/-all), and counts DNS-querying terms recursively against the RFC 7208 limit of 10. Args: - domain (string): the domain to check. - response_format ('markdown' | 'json'): output format (default 'markdown'). Returns: { found, record, multiple_records, all_qualifier, lookup_count, exceeds_lookup_limit, findings[] }. Example: "Does sendgrid.net's SPF exceed the 10-lookup limit?" -> spf_check(domain="sendgrid.net").dmarc_checkFetch and parse a domain's DMARC record (_dmarc.<domain>). Reports the policy (p=), subdomain policy (sp=), reporting addresses (rua/ruf), pct and alignment (aspf/adkim), and warns on monitor-only or partial deployments. Args: - domain (string): the domain to check. - response_format ('markdown' | 'json'): output format (default 'markdown'). Returns: { found, record, policy, tags{}, findings[] }. Example: "What is paypal.com's DMARC policy?" -> dmarc_check(domain="paypal.com").dkim_checkLook up DKIM public keys at <selector>._domainkey.<domain>. Because DKIM selectors are arbitrary and undiscoverable, you should pass the selector(s) your mail provider uses for a definitive answer; otherwise a curated list of common selectors is probed and a miss is inconclusive. Args: - domain (string): the domain to check. - selectors (string[], optional): DKIM selectors to probe. - response_format ('markdown' | 'json'): output format (default 'markdown'). Returns: { any_found, probed_selectors, selectors[{selector, found, record, key_type}], findings[] }. Examples: - "Does acme.com publish a DKIM key for selector 'google'?" -> dkim_check(domain="acme.com", selectors=["google"]) - "Find any DKIM keys for acme.com" -> dkim_check(domain="acme.com")mta_sts_checkCheck a domain's MTA-STS deployment: the _mta-sts TXT record AND the policy file at https://mta-sts.<domain>/.well-known/mta-sts.txt. Reports the enforcement mode (enforce/testing/none) and the listed MX hosts. MTA-STS forces TLS for inbound SMTP and blocks downgrade attacks. Args: - domain (string): the domain to check. - response_format ('markdown' | 'json'): output format (default 'markdown'). Returns: { dns_record_found, policy_found, mode, policy{}, findings[] }. Example: "Does gmail.com enforce MTA-STS?" -> mta_sts_check(domain="gmail.com").tls_rpt_checkCheck a domain's TLS-RPT record (_smtp._tls.<domain> TXT). TLS-RPT lets you receive reports about TLS delivery failures to your domain. Args: - domain (string): the domain to check. - response_format ('markdown' | 'json'): output format (default 'markdown'). Returns: { found, record, findings[] }. Example: "Does microsoft.com publish TLS-RPT?" -> tls_rpt_check(domain="microsoft.com").bimi_checkCheck a domain's BIMI record (default._bimi.<domain> TXT), which points to the brand logo (and optional VMC) displayed next to authenticated mail. BIMI requires an enforced DMARC policy to take effect. Args: - domain (string): the domain to check. - response_format ('markdown' | 'json'): output format (default 'markdown'). Returns: { found, record, findings[] }. Example: "Does cnn.com have BIMI set up?" -> bimi_check(domain="cnn.com").dns_lookupResolve all common DNS record types (A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, NS, TXT, SOA) for a domain in one call, using public resolvers (Cloudflare/Google/Quad9). Args: - domain (string): the domain to query, e.g. "example.com". - response_format ('markdown' | 'json'): output format (default 'markdown'). Returns: a map of record type -> list of records. Each record has { type, host, value, priority? }. Examples: - "What are the MX records for stripe.com?" -> dns_lookup(domain="stripe.com") - Use ssl_certificate for TLS details, whois_lookup for registration data. Errors: returns an error if the domain is malformed or has no resolvable records.reverse_dnsResolve the PTR (reverse DNS) records for an IP address — the hostname(s) the IP maps back to. Args: - ip (string): IPv4 or IPv6 address. - response_format ('markdown' | 'json'): output format (default 'markdown'). Returns: { ip, hostnames: string[] }. Example: "What hostname does 8.8.8.8 reverse to?" -> reverse_dns(ip="8.8.8.8"). Errors: returns an error if the IP is invalid or has no PTR record.ip_geolocationGeolocate an IP address (country, region, city, coordinates, time zone) using the offline DB-IP Lite database, plus its reverse-DNS hostname. No external API. Args: - ip (string): IPv4 or IPv6 address. - response_format ('markdown' | 'json'): output format (default 'markdown'). Returns: { ip, country_iso, country_name, region, city, latitude, longitude, time_zone, hostname }. Example: "Where is 151.101.1.69 located?" -> ip_geolocation(ip="151.101.1.69"). Note: geolocation is approximate (city-level at best) and offline data may lag reality. The time zone is estimated from the coordinates. Data: IP Geolocation by DB-IP (https://db-ip.com), licensed CC BY 4.0 — credit it when showing these results.ssl_certificateInspect the TLS certificate served by a host: issuer, subject, validity window, days-until-expiry, SANs, serial and SHA-256 fingerprint. Flags expired or soon-to-expire certificates. Args: - domain (string): host to connect to. - port (number): TLS port (default 443). - response_format ('markdown' | 'json'): output format (default 'markdown'). Returns: certificate fields plus { days_until_expiry, expired, expires_soon, trusted, hostname_matches, authorization_error }. An untrusted certificate (self-signed, unknown root, wrong host) is still inspected and reported, never silently passed. Example: "When does github.com's certificate expire?" -> ssl_certificate(domain="github.com"). Errors: returns an error if the host is unreachable or serves no certificate.whois_lookupLook up domain registration data over the raw WHOIS protocol (port 43): registrar, creation/update/expiry dates, name servers and domain status. Resolves the correct WHOIS server via IANA and follows registrar referrals. No API key. Args: - domain (string): the domain to look up. - response_format ('markdown' | 'json'): output format (default 'markdown'). JSON includes the raw WHOIS text. Returns: { domain, registrar, created, updated, expires, name_servers[], status[], whois_server }. Example: "Who is the registrar for openai.com and when does it expire?" -> whois_lookup(domain="openai.com"). Errors: returns an error if no WHOIS server answers (some ccTLDs restrict or rate-limit WHOIS).- +7 more on the listing page
Ready-to-paste client configs
Paste either block (or both) into your client config, e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json. We only show a config when the install command is confirmed.
MCP Shodan
{
"mcpServers": {
"burtthecoder-mcp-shodan": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@burtthecoder/mcp-shodan"
],
"env": {
"SHODAN_API_KEY": "YOUR_SHODAN_API_KEY_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Domain Security
{
"mcpServers": {
"domain-security": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"domain-security-mcp-server"
]
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
MCP Shodan is categorized under Security and uses a local stdio subprocess. Domain Security belongs to Security and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick MCP Shodan for security work and Domain Security for security.
Copy the mcpServers block from the config section on this page into your client's config (for example claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json), then fully restart the client.
MCP Shodan is bring-your-own-key: usage is billed by the API provider you supply a key for. Auth: api key required. Domain Security has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. If a server needs environment variables such as API keys, define them under the env key in your client's MCP config.
Yes. MCP clients support multiple servers: add burtthecoder-mcp-shodan and domain-security as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, MCP Shodan has a quality signal of 68/100 (Great) with 4 views, 0 installs and 178 GitHub stars. Domain Security has 63/100 (Good) with 1 views, 0 installs and 1 GitHub stars.