What is the key difference between MCP Virustotal and MCP Shodan?

MCP Virustotal belongs to the Security category with local stdio execution, while MCP Shodan belongs to the Security category with local stdio execution.

How do I install MCP Virustotal or MCP Shodan in Claude Desktop or Cursor?

Copy the mcpServers JSON configuration snippet provided on this page into your claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json file and restart your AI client.

Are MCP Virustotal and MCP Shodan free or paid?

MCP Virustotal operates under a BYOK (Pay Provider Direct) model (API Key required). MCP Shodan operates under a BYOK (Pay Provider Direct) model (API Key required).

Which MCP server has more tools and community activity?

MCP Virustotal lists 24 tools with 2 views and 149 GitHub stars. MCP Shodan lists 22 tools with 3 views and 167 GitHub stars.

Can I use both MCP Virustotal and MCP Shodan together in the same MCP host?

Yes! MCP hosts like Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, Cline, and VS Code support configuring multiple servers under the mcpServers object simultaneously.

Side-by-Side Model Context Protocol Comparison

MCP Virustotal vs MCP Shodan

In-depth architectural comparison of the MCP Virustotal and MCP Shodan 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

MCP Virustotal

Security · Local stdio

Quality: 61/100 (Good) | Auth: API Key required

MCP Shodan

Security · Local stdio

Quality: 61/100 (Good) | Auth: API Key required

Verdict Summary: Choose MCP Virustotal if you need specialized Security tools running via a local process. Choose MCP Shodan if your workspace requires Security integration with local subprocess execution. Both servers can be configured concurrently in your client's mcpServers manifest.

Which MCP Server Should You Choose?

Choose MCP Virustotal when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the Security domain.
You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: API Key required (BYOK (Pay Provider Direct)).
You have access to required keys: VIRUSTOTAL_API_KEY, MCP_TRANSPORT, MCP_PORT, MCP_ENDPOINT.
Primary tools included: get_url_report, url, get_file_report.

Explore MCP Virustotal Details

Choose MCP Shodan when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the Security domain.
You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: API Key required (BYOK (Pay Provider Direct)).
You have access to required keys: SHODAN_API_KEY.
Primary tools included: ip_lookup, ip, shodan_search.

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	MCP Virustotal BurtTheCoder Security	MCP Shodan BurtTheCoder Security
Summary	MCP server for querying the VirusTotal API. This server provides tools for scanning URLs, analyzing file hashes, and retrieving IP address reports.	MCP server for querying the Shodan API and Shodan CVEDB. This server provides tools for IP lookups, device searches, DNS lookups, vulnerability queries, CPE lookups, and more.
Category & Scope

Tools & Capabilities Breakdown

MCP Virustotal Tools (24)

get_url_report

url

get_file_report

hash

get_ip_report

get_domain_report

domain

relationships

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).

MCP Virustotal Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "burtthecoder-mcp-virustotal": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@burtthecoder/mcp-virustotal"
      ],
      "env": {
        "VIRUSTOTAL_API_KEY": "YOUR_VIRUSTOTAL_API_KEY_HERE",
        "MCP_TRANSPORT": "YOUR_MCP_TRANSPORT_HERE",
        "MCP_PORT": "YOUR_MCP_PORT_HERE",
        "MCP_ENDPOINT": "YOUR_MCP_ENDPOINT_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

MCP Shodan Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "burtthecoder-mcp-shodan": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@burtthecoder/mcp-shodan"
      ],
      "env": {
        "SHODAN_API_KEY": "YOUR_SHODAN_API_KEY_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

Frequently Asked Questions

MCP Virustotal is categorized under Security and uses a local stdio subprocess. In contrast, MCP Shodan belongs to Security using local stdio subprocess. Select MCP Virustotal when you need capabilities focused on security and MCP Shodan when you require tools for security.

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