io.github.BurtTheCoder/shodan MCP Server
io.github.BurtTheCoder/shodan
Query Shodan's network intelligence API for IP reconnaissance, device discovery, DNS lookups, and vulnerability tracking.
What is the io.github.BurtTheCoder/shodan MCP server?
The Shodan MCP server provides access to Shodan's network intelligence and security services through the Model Context Protocol. It enables IP reconnaissance, DNS operations, vulnerability tracking via CVEDB, and device discovery across the internet-connected device database.
This server integrates Shodan's comprehensive network reconnaissance capabilities into Claude and other AI agents. Use it to look up IP addresses and their services, search for internet-connected devices, resolve DNS queries, and query vulnerability databases for CVE and CPE information. Requires a valid Shodan API key.
How to install io.github.BurtTheCoder/shodan
Copy-paste configuration for popular MCP clients.
SHODAN_API_KEYrequiredsecretYour Shodan API key
Tools & capabilities
Tools this server exposes to the agent.
ip_lookup— Retrieve comprehensive information about an IP address, including geolocation, open ports, running services, SSL certificates, hostnames, and cloud provider details.shodan_search— Search Shodan's database of internet-connected devices with advanced filtering and get country-based distribution statistics.cve_lookup— Query detailed vulnerability information from Shodan's CVEDB including CVSS scores, EPSS probability, KEV status, and affected products.dns_lookup— Resolve domain names to IP addresses using Shodan's DNS service.reverse_dns_lookup— Perform reverse DNS lookups to find hostnames associated with IP addresses.cpe_lookup— Search for Common Platform Enumeration (CPE) entries by product name with pagination support.cves_by_product— Search for vulnerabilities affecting specific products or CPEs with filtering by date, KEV status, and EPSS score.
Use cases
- Perform IP reconnaissance to discover open ports, services, and vulnerabilities on a target IP address
- Search for internet-connected devices matching specific criteria (e.g., devices running a particular service or in a specific country)
- Look up CVE vulnerability details including severity scores, affected products, and mitigation information
- Resolve domain names to IPs and perform reverse DNS lookups for network mapping
- Find all CVEs affecting a specific product or CPE with filtering by severity and publication date
io.github.BurtTheCoder/shodan MCP server FAQ
It's an MCP server that connects Claude and other AI agents to Shodan's network intelligence API, providing tools for IP lookups, device discovery, DNS operations, and CVE/CPE vulnerability queries.
Shodan offers a free tier with limited queries. Most features require a paid subscription. You need a valid Shodan API key from your account at shodan.io.
Use the quick start command: `claude mcp add --transport stdio --env SHODAN_API_KEY=your-key shodan -- npx -y @burtthecoder/mcp-shodan`, or manually add it to your claude_desktop_config.json with your API key in the env section.
You must provide a valid Shodan API key via the SHODAN_API_KEY environment variable. Get your key from your Shodan account settings at account.shodan.io.
Seven tools: ip_lookup (IP reconnaissance), shodan_search (device discovery), cve_lookup (vulnerability details), dns_lookup (forward DNS), reverse_dns_lookup (reverse DNS), cpe_lookup (product enumeration), and cves_by_product (vulnerability search by product).
Verify your Shodan API key is correct and has sufficient credits. Check for extra spaces in the key, ensure it's set in the SHODAN_API_KEY environment variable, and restart Claude Desktop after updating the configuration.
README (reference)
Source of truth, from the repository.
Shodan MCP Server
A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for querying the Shodan API and Shodan CVEDB. This server provides comprehensive access to Shodan's network intelligence and security services, including IP reconnaissance, DNS operations, vulnerability tracking, and device discovery. All tools provide structured, formatted output for easy analysis and integration.
Quick Start (Recommended)
Installing via Claude Code
claude mcp add --transport stdio --env SHODAN_API_KEY=your-shodan-api-key shodan -- npx -y @burtthecoder/mcp-shodan
Installing via Codex CLI
codex mcp add shodan --env SHODAN_API_KEY=your-shodan-api-key -- npx -y @burtthecoder/mcp-shodan
Installing via Gemini CLI
gemini mcp add -e SHODAN_API_KEY=your-shodan-api-key shodan npx -y @burtthecoder/mcp-shodan
Installing via Smithery
To install Shodan Server for Claude Desktop automatically via Smithery:
npx -y @smithery/cli install @burtthecoder/mcp-shodan --client claude
Installing Manually
- Install the server globally via npm:
npm install -g @burtthecoder/mcp-shodan
- Add to your Claude Desktop configuration file:
{
"mcpServers": {
"shodan": {
"command": "mcp-shodan",
"env": {
"SHODAN_API_KEY": "your-shodan-api-key"
}
}
}
}
Configuration file location:
- macOS:
~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json - Windows:
%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
- Restart Claude Desktop
Alternative Setup (From Source)
If you prefer to run from source or need to modify the code:
- Clone and build:
git clone https://github.com/BurtTheCoder/mcp-shodan.git
cd mcp-shodan
npm install
npm run build
- Add to your Claude Desktop configuration:
{
"mcpServers": {
"shodan": {
"command": "node",
"args": ["/absolute/path/to/mcp-shodan/build/index.js"],
"env": {
"SHODAN_API_KEY": "your-shodan-api-key"
}
}
}
}
Features
- Network Reconnaissance: Query detailed information about IP addresses, including open ports, services, and vulnerabilities
- DNS Operations: Forward and reverse DNS lookups for domains and IP addresses
- Vulnerability Intelligence: Access to Shodan's CVEDB for detailed vulnerability information, CPE lookups, and product-specific CVE tracking
- Device Discovery: Search Shodan's database of internet-connected devices with advanced filtering
Tools
1. IP Lookup Tool
- Name:
ip_lookup - Description: Retrieve comprehensive information about an IP address, including geolocation, open ports, running services, SSL certificates, hostnames, and cloud provider details if available
- Parameters:
ip(required): IP address to lookup
- Returns:
- IP Information (address, organization, ISP, ASN)
- Location (country, city, coordinates)
- Services (ports, protocols, banners)
- Cloud Provider details (if available)
- Associated hostnames and domains
- Tags
2. Shodan Search Tool
- Name:
shodan_search - Description: Search Shodan's database of internet-connected devices
- Parameters:
query(required): Shodan search querymax_results(optional, default: 10): Number of results to return
- Returns:
- Search summary with total results
- Country-based distribution statistics
- Detailed device information including:
- Basic information (IP, organization, ISP)
- Location data
- Service details
- Web server information
- Associated hostnames and domains
3. CVE Lookup Tool
- Name:
cve_lookup - Description: Query detailed vulnerability information from Shodan's CVEDB
- Parameters:
cve(required): CVE identifier in format CVE-YYYY-NNNNN (e.g., CVE-2021-44228)
- Returns:
- Basic Information (ID, published date, summary)
- Severity Scores:
- CVSS v2 and v3 with severity levels
- EPSS probability and ranking
- Impact Assessment:
- KEV status
- Proposed mitigations
- Ransomware associations
- Affected products (CPEs)
- References
4. DNS Lookup Tool
- Name:
dns_lookup - Description: Resolve domain names to IP addresses using Shodan's DNS service
- Parameters:
hostnames(required): Array of hostnames to resolve
- Returns:
- DNS resolutions mapping hostnames to IPs
- Summary of total lookups and queried hostnames
5. Reverse DNS Lookup Tool
- Name:
reverse_dns_lookup - Description: Perform reverse DNS lookups to find hostnames associated with IP addresses
- Parameters:
ips(required): Array of IP addresses to lookup
- Returns:
- Reverse DNS resolutions mapping IPs to hostnames
- Summary of total lookups and results
6. CPE Lookup Tool
- Name:
cpe_lookup - Description: Search for Common Platform Enumeration (CPE) entries by product name
- Parameters:
product(required): Name of the product to search forcount(optional, default: false): If true, returns only the count of matching CPEsskip(optional, default: 0): Number of CPEs to skip (for pagination)limit(optional, default: 1000): Maximum number of CPEs to return
- Returns:
- When count is true: Total number of matching CPEs
- When count is false: List of CPEs with pagination details
7. CVEs by Product Tool
- Name:
cves_by_product - Description: Search for vulnerabilities affecting specific products or CPEs
- Parameters:
cpe23(optional): CPE 2.3 identifier (format: cpe:2.3:part:vendor:product:version)product(optional): Name of the product to search for CVEscount(optional, default: false): If true, returns only the count of matching CVEsis_kev(optional, default: false): If true, returns only CVEs with KEV flag setsort_by_epss(optional, default: false): If true, sorts CVEs by EPSS scoreskip(optional, default: 0): Number of CVEs to skip (for pagination)limit(optional, default: 1000): Maximum number of CVEs to returnstart_date(optional): Start date for filtering CVEs (format: YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS)end_date(optional): End date for filtering CVEs (format: YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS)
- Notes:
- Must provide either cpe23 or product, but not both
- Date filtering uses published time of CVEs
- Returns:
- Query information
- Results summary with pagination details
- Detailed vulnerability information including:
- Basic information
- Severity scores
- Impact assessments
- References
Requirements
- Node.js (v20 or later)
- A valid Shodan API Key
Troubleshooting
API Key Issues
If you see API key related errors (e.g., "Request failed with status code 401"):
-
Verify your API key:
- Must be a valid Shodan API key from your account settings
- Ensure the key has sufficient credits/permissions for the operation
- Check for extra spaces or quotes around the key in the configuration
- Verify the key is correctly set in the SHODAN_API_KEY environment variable
-
Common Error Codes:
- 401 Unauthorized: Invalid API key or missing authentication
- 402 Payment Required: Out of query credits
- 429 Too Many Requests: Rate limit exceeded
-
Configuration Steps: a. Get your API key from Shodan Account b. Add it to your configuration file:
{ "mcpServers": { "shodan": { "command": "mcp-shodan", "env": { "SHODAN_API_KEY": "your-actual-api-key-here" } } } }c. Save the config file d. Restart Claude Desktop
-
Testing Your Key:
- Try a simple query first (e.g., dns_lookup for "google.com")
- Check your Shodan account dashboard for credit status
- Verify the key works directly with curl:
curl "https://api.shodan.io/dns/resolve?hostnames=google.com&key=your-api-key"
Module Loading Issues
If you see module loading errors:
- For global installation: Use the simple configuration shown in Quick Start
- For source installation: Ensure you're using Node.js v18 or later
Development
Build the project:
npm install
npm run build
Test interactively with FastMCP's built-in dev tool:
npx fastmcp dev build/index.js
Error Handling
The server includes comprehensive error handling for:
- Invalid API keys
- Rate limiting
- Network errors
- Invalid input parameters
- Invalid CVE formats
- Invalid CPE lookup parameters
- Invalid date formats
- Mutually exclusive parameter validation
Version History
- v1.0.22: Published to the official MCP Registry — added
server.jsonmanifest, CLI install support for Claude Code, Codex, and Gemini CLI - v1.1.0: Migrated from raw
@modelcontextprotocol/sdkto FastMCP — modular tool files, automatic schema validation, simplified error handling - v1.0.12: Added reverse DNS lookup and improved output formatting
- v1.0.7: Added CVEs by Product search functionality and renamed vulnerabilities tool to cve_lookup
- v1.0.6: Added CVEDB integration for enhanced CVE lookups and CPE search functionality
- v1.0.0: Initial release with core functionality
Contributing
- Fork the repository
- Create a feature branch (
git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature) - Commit your changes (
git commit -m 'Add amazing feature') - Push to the branch (
git push origin feature/amazing-feature) - Open a Pull Request
License
This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.
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