MCP MCP Server

Shodan MCP Server – network reconnaissance, DNS operations, and vulnerability intelligence

Local serverstdio

What is the MCP MCP server?

Shodan MCP Server – network reconnaissance, DNS operations, and vulnerability intelligence. That is what the mcp mcp server brings to an AI assistant: the same capability, reachable through the Model Context Protocol rather than a separate app or dashboard.

The short version

Get your API key at account.shodan.io.

  • IP reconnaissance — — open ports, running services, banners, SSL certificates, cloud provider detection
  • Device search — — query Shodan's internet-wide scan database with advanced filters and geographic distribution
  • DNS operations — — forward and reverse DNS lookups for domains and IP addresses
  • Vulnerability intelligence — — CVE details (CVSS v2/v3, EPSS, KEV status), CPE lookups, and product-specific CVE tracking via CVEDB

Getting it running

Installation goes through your MCP client rather than a global install: point it at @tocharianou/mcp-shodan on npm and it is fetched when the client starts. The copy-paste blocks for Claude Desktop, Claude Code and Cursor are further down this page.

The tools it exposes

The server publishes 7 tools. What each one is for:

  • ip_lookup — IP address analysis: ports, services, banners, cloud provider, hostnames
  • shodan_search — Search internet-connected devices with country distribution stats
  • dns_lookup — Batch forward DNS resolution (hostnames → IPs)
  • reverse_dns_lookup — Batch reverse DNS lookup (IPs → hostnames)
  • cve_lookup — CVE details: CVSS v2/v3, EPSS, KEV status, ransomware associations
  • cpe_lookup — Search CPE entries by product name with pagination
  • cves_by_product — All CVEs for a product or CPE 2.3 identifier with filtering

What it needs from you

Configuration is passed through the environment: SHODAN_API_KEY, SHODAN_BASE_URL, SHODAN_AUTH_TOKEN, SHODAN_CVEDB_URL, MCP_HTTP_HOST, YOUR_BEARER_TOKEN. Treat anything key-shaped as a real credential — scope it to the minimum the server needs, and rotate it if it ever lands in a shared config.

Things to watch

  • It runs with your machine's permissions. That is convenient and also the reason to think about what you point it at before you approve a tool call.
  • Missing credentials fail quietly in some clients — if no tools show up, check the environment block first.
  • Keep per-call confirmation enabled while you learn its behaviour; it is the cheapest safeguard you have.

How it compares

Plenty of database access servers cover similar ground. The differences that matter in practice are scope of access and how much setup stands between you and a working tool call. MCP's toolset — ip_lookup, shodan_search, dns_lookup and 4 more — is a fair guide to whether it matches your workflow. It is maintained by tocharian; worth a glance at recent repository activity before you build anything load-bearing on it.

SyncDev reviews every entry in this directory against the project's own documentation before publishing, and revisits them as servers change.

Available tools

ToolWhat it does
ip_lookupIP address analysis: ports, services, banners, cloud provider, hostnames
shodan_searchSearch internet-connected devices with country distribution stats
dns_lookupBatch forward DNS resolution (hostnames → IPs)
reverse_dns_lookupBatch reverse DNS lookup (IPs → hostnames)
cve_lookupCVE details: CVSS v2/v3, EPSS, KEV status, ransomware associations
cpe_lookupSearch CPE entries by product name with pagination
cves_by_productAll CVEs for a product or CPE 2.3 identifier with filtering

How to install the MCP MCP server

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "shodan": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@tocharianou/mcp-shodan"],
      "env": {
        "SHODAN_API_KEY": "<your-api-key>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Configuration as documented by the project. Restart the client after saving.

Configuration

VariableDescriptionRequired
SHODAN_API_KEYCredential the server authenticates with.Yes
SHODAN_BASE_URLEndpoint or connection string the server talks to.Yes
SHODAN_AUTH_TOKENCredential the server authenticates with.Yes
SHODAN_CVEDB_URLEndpoint or connection string the server talks to.Yes
MCP_HTTP_HOSTEndpoint or connection string the server talks to.Optional
YOUR_BEARER_TOKENCredential the server authenticates with.Yes

Example prompts to try

  • Use MCP to ip lookup.
  • Use MCP to shodan search.
  • Use MCP to dns lookup.

Frequently asked questions

It connects MCP to MCP-compatible AI assistants such as Claude and Cursor, exposing 7 tools (ip_lookup, shodan_search, dns_lookup, and more) that the assistant can call on your behalf. Instead of copying data back and forth by hand, the assistant works with MCP directly.