
Shodan
Query Shodan's database of internet-connected devices and security vulnerabilities through their API. Access network intelligence, device discovery, and CVE information for security research and reconnaissance.
Access Shodan API and CVEDB to query IoT device data and vulnerability information.
What it does
- Search for IoT devices and services by IP, port, or banner
- Perform DNS lookups and reverse DNS operations
- Query vulnerability databases for CVE information
- Discover open ports and services on target networks
- Analyze device fingerprints and service banners
- Track security vulnerabilities across internet infrastructure
Best for
About Shodan
Shodan is a community-built MCP server published by burtthecoder that provides AI assistants with tools and capabilities via the Model Context Protocol. Access Shodan API and CVEDB for detailed IoT device data, shodan io searches, and the latest NVD CVE vulnerability infor It is categorized under auth security, developer tools.
How to install
You can install Shodan in your AI client of choice. Use the install panel on this page to get one-click setup for Cursor, Claude Desktop, VS Code, and other MCP-compatible clients. This server runs locally on your machine via the stdio transport.
License
Shodan is released under the MIT license. This is a permissive open-source license, meaning you can freely use, modify, and distribute the software.
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 i
README truncated. View full README on GitHub.
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