OSINT intelligence MCP server for AI agents — 37 tools, 12 sources. Shodan, VirusTotal, Censys, SecurityTrails, DNS reconnaissance, WHOIS, certificate transparency, BGP routing, Wayback Machine, GeoIP. Automated open source intelligence and attack surface mapping via Model Context Protocol.
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OSINT & reconnaissance intelligence for AI agents.
Shodan, VirusTotal, Censys, SecurityTrails, DNS, WHOIS, BGP, Wayback Machine — unified into a single MCP server.
Your AI agent gets full-spectrum OSINT on demand, not 12 browser tabs and manual correlation.
The Problem • How It's Different • Quick Start • What The AI Can Do • Tools (37) • Data Sources • Architecture • Changelog • Contributing
The Problem
OSINT collection is the first step of every penetration test, bug bounty, and threat assessment. The data you need is scattered across a dozen platforms — each with its own API, its own auth, its own rate limits, its own output format. Today you open Shodan in one tab, VirusTotal in another, run dig in a terminal, copy-paste from WHOIS, switch to crt.sh for certificates, and then spend 30 minutes manually correlating everything.
Traditional OSINT workflow:
resolve DNS records → dig / nslookup CLI
check WHOIS registration → whois CLI or web tool
enumerate subdomains → crt.sh + SecurityTrails + VirusTotal (3 different UIs)
scan for open ports/services → Shodan web interface
check domain reputation → VirusTotal web interface
map IP infrastructure → Censys + BGP lookups
find archived pages → Wayback Machine web UI
check email security → manual MX/SPF/DMARC lookups
correlate everything → copy-paste into a spreadsheet
─────────────────────────────────
Total: 45+ minutes per target, most of it switching contexts
osint-mcp-server gives your AI agent 37 tools across 12 data sources via the Model Context Protocol. The agent queries all sources in parallel, correlates data, identifies risks, and presents a unified intelligence picture — in a single conversation.
With osint-mcp-server:
You: "Do a full recon on target.com"
Agent: → DNS: 4 A records, 3 MX (Google Workspace), 2 NS
→ WHOIS: Registered 2019, expires 2025, GoDaddy
→ crt.sh: 47 unique subdomains from CT logs
→ HackerTarget: 23 hosts with IPs
→ Email: SPF soft-fail (~all), DMARC p=none, no DKIM
→ Shodan: 3 IPs, 12 open ports, Apache 2.4.49 (CVE-2021-41773)
→ VirusTotal: Clean reputation, 0 detections
→ "target.com has 47 subdomains, weak email security
(SPF soft-fail, DMARC monitoring only), and one IP
running Apache 2.4.49 with a known path traversal CVE.
Priority: patch Apache, upgrade SPF to -all, set DMARC to p=reject."
How It's Different
Existing OSINT tools give you raw data one source at a time. osint-mcp-server gives your AI agent the ability to reason across all sources simultaneously.
| Traditional OSINT | osint-mcp-server | |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | 12 different web UIs, CLIs, and APIs | MCP — AI agent calls tools conversationally |
| Data sources | One platform at a time | 12 sources queried in parallel |
| Subdomain enum | crt.sh OR SecurityTrails OR VirusTotal | Agent merges all three + HackerTarget, deduplicates |
| Correlation | Manual copy-paste between tabs | Agent cross-references: "This IP from Shodan also appears in Censys with expired cert" |
| Email security | Separate SPF/DMARC/DKIM lookups | Combined analysis with risk score and actionable recommendations |
| Infrastructure | GeoIP + BGP + WHOIS separately | Agent maps full infrastructure: ASN, prefixes, geolocation, ownership |
| API keys | Required for almost everything | 21 tools work free, 16 more with optional API keys |
| Setup | Install each tool, manage each config | npx osint-mcp-server — one command, zero config |
Quick Start
Option 1: npx (no install)
npx osint-mcp-server
21 public OSINT tools work immediately. No API keys required.
Option 2: Clone
git clone https://github.com/badchars/osint-mcp-server.git
cd osint-mcp-server
bun install
Environment variables (optional)
# Premium OSINT sources — all optional
export SHODAN_API_KEY=your-key # Enables 4 Shodan tools
export VT_API_KEY=your-key # Enables 4 VirusTotal tools
export ST_API_KEY=your-key # Enables 3 SecurityTrails tools
export CENSYS_API_ID=your-id # Enables 3 Censys tools
export CENSYS_API_SECRET=your-secret # Required with CENSYS_API_ID
All premium API keys are optional. Without them, you still get 21 tools covering DNS, WHOIS, crt.sh, GeoIP, BGP, Wayback Machine, HackerTarget, and Microsoft 365 tenant discovery.
Connect to your AI agent
Claude Code
# With npx
claude mcp add osint-mcp-server -- npx osint-mcp-server
# With local clone
claude mcp add osint-mcp-server -- bun run /path/to/osint-mcp-server/src/index.ts
Claude Desktop
Add to ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json:
{
"mcpServers": {
"osint": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "osint-mcp-server"],
"env": {
"SHODAN_API_KEY": "optional",
"VT_API_KEY": "optional",
"ST_API_KEY": "optional",
"CENSYS_API_ID": "optional",
"CENSYS_API_SECRET": "optional"
}
}
}
}
Cursor / Windsurf / other MCP clients
Same JSON config format. Point the command to npx osint-mcp-server or your local installation path.
Start querying
You: "What can you find about example.com?"
That's it. The agent handles DNS, WHOIS, subdomains, email security, and more automatically.
What The AI Can Do
Domain Reconnaissance
You: "Do a full recon on target.com"
Agent: → osint_domain_recon {domain: "target.com"}
→ DNS: A records point to 3 IPs (AWS us-east-1)
→ WHOIS: Registered 2018 via Namecheap, expires 2026
→ crt.sh: 62 subdomains discovered
→ HackerTarget: 31 hosts with resolved IPs
→ Email: SPF hard-fail, DMARC p=reject, DKIM found (selector1)
→ "target.com is well-configured for email security.
62 subdomains found — notable: staging.target.com,
admin-portal.target.com, api-v2.target.com.
Infrastructure is on AWS (us-east-1)."
Attack Surface Mapping
You: "Map the attack surface for 203.0.113.50"
Agent: → shodan_host {ip: "203.0.113.50"}
→ geoip_lookup {ip: "203.0.113.50"}
→ bgp_ip {ip: "203.0.113.50"}
→ whois_ip {ip: "203.0.113.50"}
→ dns_reverse {ip: "203.0.113.50"}
→ "203.0.113.50 (Hetzner, DE, AS24940)
Open ports: 22/SSH, 80/HTTP, 443/HTTPS, 8080/HTTP-Proxy
Apache 2.4.51, OpenSSH 8.9, nginx reverse proxy on 8080
Reverse DNS: web1.target.com
3 known CVEs flagged by Shodan"
Subdomain Enumeration (Multi-Source)
You: "Find all subdomains of target.com using every source available"
Agent: → crtsh_search {domain: "target.com"} → 62 subdomains
→ st_subdomains {domain: "target.com"} → 84 subdomains
→ vt_subdomains {domain: "target.com"} → 41 subdomains
→ hackertarget_hostsearch {domain: "target.com"} → 31 hosts
→ dns_wildcard_check {domain: "target.com"} → No wildcard
→ "127 unique subdomains after dedup across 4 sources.
Notable findings: staging.target.com, dev-api.target.com,
jenkins.target.com (CI/CD exposure risk),
old-admin.target.com (potential legacy system)"
Email Security Audit
You: "Analyze the email security posture of target.com"
Agent: → dns_email_security {domain: "target.com"}
→ dns_spf_chain {domain: "target.com"}
→ m365_tenant {domain: "target.com"}
→ "Email Security: HIGH RISK
SPF: ~all (soft fail — spoofable)
DMARC: p=none (monitoring only — not enforcing)
DKIM: Found for selector1 (2048-bit, good)
SPF chain: 7 includes, 2 services (Google Workspace, SendGrid)
M365: Not a Microsoft tenant
Recommendations:
1. Upgrade SPF from ~all to -all
2. Change DMARC from p=none to p=quarantine, then p=reject
3. Add rua= to DMARC for aggregate reporting"
Historical Intelligence
You: "What was target.com running 3 years ago?"
Agent: → wayback_urls {domain: "target.com", limit: 500}
→ st_dns_history {domain: "target.com", type: "a"}
→ wayback_snapshots {url: "https://target.com/robots.txt"}
→ "DNS history: target.com moved from 198.51.100.1 (DigitalOcean)
to 203.0.113.50 (AWS) in 2023.
Wayback found 342 unique URLs including:
- /admin/ (removed in 2024, was accessible)
- /api/v1/docs (Swagger UI, still cached)
- /wp-content/ (was WordPress, migrated)
Old robots.txt disallowed /internal/ and /debug/"
Tools Reference (37 tools)
DNS (6) — No API key
| Tool | Description |
|------|-------------|
| dns_lookup | Resolve A, AAAA, MX, TXT, NS, SOA, CNAME, SRV records |
| dns_reverse | Reverse DNS (PTR) lookup for an IP address |
| dns_email_security | SPF + DMARC + DKIM analysis with risk scoring and recommendations |
| dns_spf_chain | Recursive SPF include chain resolution with service detection |
| dns_srv_discover | SRV + CNAME service discovery (Autodiscover, LDAP, SIP, Kerberos, etc.) |
| dns_wildcard_check | Wildcard DNS detection via random subdomain probe |
WHOIS / RDAP (2) — No API key
| Tool | Description |
|------|-------------|
| whois_domain | RDAP domain lookup — registrar, dates, nameservers, contacts |
| whois_ip | RDAP IP lookup — network name, CIDR, country, entities |
Certificate Transparency (1) — No API key
| Tool | Description |
|------|-------------|
| crtsh_search | Search CT logs via crt.sh — subdomain discovery + certificate details |
Shodan (4) — Requires SHODAN_API_KEY
| Tool | Description |
|------|-------------|
| shodan_host | IP details: open ports, services, banners, vulnerabilities, OS, ASN |
| shodan_search | Search Shodan query language (e.g. apache port:443 country:US) |
| shodan_dns_resolve | Bulk hostname-to-IP resolution via Shodan |
| shodan_exploits | Search public exploit database (PoC, Metasploit modules) |
VirusTotal (4) — Requires VT_API_KEY
| Tool | Description |
|------|-------------|
| vt_domain | Domain reputation, detection stats, categories, DNS records |
| vt_ip | IP reputation, detection stats, ASN, network |
| vt_subdomains | Subdomain enumeration via VirusTotal |
| vt_url | URL scan + malware/phishing analysis |
SecurityTrails (3) — Requires ST_API_KEY
| Tool | Description |
|------|-------------|
| st_subdomains | Subdomain enumeration (returns FQDNs) |
| st_dns_history | Historical DNS records with first/last seen dates |
| st_whois | Enhanced WHOIS with registrant/admin/technical contacts |
Censys (3) — Requires CENSYS_API_ID + CENSYS_API_SECRET
| Tool | Description |
|------|-------------|
| censys_hosts | Host search — IPs, services, ports, location, ASN |
| censys_host_details | Single host full details with all services |
| censys_certificates | Certificate search by domain, fingerprint, issuer |
GeoIP (2) — No API key
| Tool | Description |
|------|-------------|
| geoip_lookup | IP geolocation: country, city, ISP, ASN, proxy/hosting/VPN detection |
| geoip_batch | Batch IP geolocation (up to 100 IPs at once) |
BGP / ASN (3) — No API key
| Tool | Description |
|------|-------------|
| bgp_asn | ASN details + all announced IPv4/IPv6 prefixes |
| bgp_ip | IP prefix/ASN routing lookup with RIR allocation |
| bgp_prefix | Prefix details + announcing ASNs |
Wayback Machine (2) — No API key
| Tool | Description |
|------|-------------|
| wayback_urls | Archived URL discovery — find old endpoints, hidden paths, removed content |
| wayback_snapshots | Snapshot history with timestamps and direct archive links |
HackerTarget (3) — No API key
| Tool | Description |
|------|-------------|
| hackertarget_hostsearch | Host/subdomain discovery with resolved IPs |
| hackertarget_reverseip | Reverse IP lookup — find all domains on an IP |
| hackertarget_aslookup | ASN information lookup |
Microsoft 365 (2) — No API key
| Tool | Description |
|------|-------------|
| m365_tenant | Discover M365 tenant ID, region, and OpenID configuration |
| m365_userrealm | Detect auth type (Managed/Federated), federation brand, auth endpoints |
Meta (2) — No API key
| Tool | Description |
|------|-------------|
| osint_list_sources | List all OSINT sources, API key status, and tool counts |
| osint_domain_recon | Quick recon combining all free sources (DNS + WHOIS + crt.sh + HackerTarget + email security) |
GitHub Actions
Use any of the 37 tools directly in your CI/CD pipeline:
# .github/workflows/security.yml
name: OSINT Security Check
on:
schedule:
- cron: '0 8 * * 1' # Weekly Monday 8am
workflow_dispatch:
jobs:
recon:
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
steps:
- name: Domain reconnaissance
uses: badchars/osint-mcp-server@v1
id: recon
with:
tool: osint_domain_recon
args: '{"domain": "example.com"}'
- name: Email security audit
uses: badchars/osint-mcp-server@v1
with:
tool: dns_email_security
args: '{"domain": "example.com"}'
- name: Subdomain enumeration
uses: badchars/osint-mcp-server@v1
with:
tool: crtsh_search
args: '{"domain": "example.com"}'
- name: Shodan scan (optional)
uses: badchars/osint-mcp-server@v1
with:
tool: shodan_host
args: '{"ip": "203.0.113.50"}'
env:
SHODAN_API_KEY: ${{ secrets.SHODAN_API_KEY }}
The action output is available via steps.<id>.outputs.result for further processing.
CLI Usage
# List all available tools
npx osint-mcp-server --list
# Run any tool directly
npx osint-mcp-server --tool dns_lookup '{"domain":"example.com","type":"A"}'
npx osint-mcp-server --tool osint_domain_recon '{"domain":"example.com"}'
npx osint-mcp-server --tool dns_email_security '{"domain":"example.com"}' --format text
# Tools requiring API keys
SHODAN_API_KEY=your-key npx osint-mcp-server --tool shodan_host '{"ip":"1.1.1.1"}'
Data Sources (12)
| Source | Auth | Rate Limit | What it provides |
|--------|------|-----------|-----------------|
| DNS | None | None | A, AAAA, MX, TXT, NS, SOA, CNAME, SRV, PTR records |
| RDAP | None | 1 req/s | Domain & IP WHOIS data (registrar, dates, contacts, CIDR) |
| crt.sh | None | 0.5 req/s | Certificate Transparency logs, subdomain discovery |
| ip-api.com | None | 45 req/min | IP geolocation, ISP, ASN, proxy/VPN/hosting detection |
| BGPView | None | 0.5 req/s | ASN details, announced prefixes, IP routing info |
| HackerTarget | None | 2 req/s | Host search, reverse IP, ASN lookup (50/day free) |
| Wayback Machine | None | 1 req/s | Archived URLs, snapshot history, historical content |
| Microsoft 365 | None | None | Tenant discovery, federation detection, auth type |
| Shodan | SHODAN_API_KEY | 1 req/s | Internet-wide port/service/banner scanning |
| VirusTotal | VT_API_KEY | 4 req/min | Domain/IP/URL reputation, malware detection |
| SecurityTrails | ST_API_KEY | 1 req/s | DNS history, subdomain enumeration, enhanced WHOIS |
| Censys | CENSYS_API_ID | 1 req/s | Host search, certificate transparency, service discovery |
Design decisions:
- 12 providers, 1 server — Every OSINT source is an independent module. The agent picks which tools to use based on the query.
- 21 free tools — DNS, WHOIS, crt.sh, BGP, GeoIP, Wayback, HackerTarget, and M365 work without any API keys. Premium sources are additive.
- Parallel queries —
osint_domain_reconcalls 8 sources viaPromise.allSettled. If one source times out, the rest still return data. - Per-provider rate limiters — Each data source has its own
RateLimiterinstance calibrated to that API's limits. No shared bottleneck. - TTL caching — crt.sh (15min), BGP (30min), Shodan (5min), VirusTotal (10min) results are cached to avoid redundant API calls during multi-tool workflows.
- Graceful degradation — Missing API keys don't crash the server. Tools return descriptive error messages: "Set SHODAN_API_KEY to enable Shodan tools."
- SPF chain analysis — Recursive include resolution with loop detection, service identification (Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, SendGrid, etc.), and RFC 7208 lookup limit checking.
- 2 dependencies —
@modelcontextprotocol/sdkandzod. All HTTP via nativefetch. All DNS vianode:dns/promises.
Limitations
- Free-tier rate limits apply: HackerTarget (50/day), ip-api.com (45/min), VirusTotal community (4/min)
- crt.sh can be slow for large domains (30s timeout applied)
- ip-api.com requires HTTP (not HTTPS) for free tier
- Wayback Machine CDX API can timeout for very popular domains
- WHOIS via RDAP may not cover all TLDs (some registrars don't support RDAP yet)
- macOS / Linux tested (Windows not tested)
Part of the MCP Security Suite
| Project | Domain | Tools | |---|---|---| | hackbrowser-mcp | Browser-based security testing | 39 tools, Firefox, injection testing | | cloud-audit-mcp | Cloud security (AWS/Azure/GCP) | 38 tools, 60+ checks | | github-security-mcp | GitHub security posture | 39 tools, 45 checks | | cve-mcp | Vulnerability intelligence | 23 tools, 5 sources | | osint-mcp-server | OSINT & reconnaissance | 37 tools, 12 sources |
For authorized security testing and assessment only.
Always ensure you have proper authorization before performing reconnaissance on any target.
MIT License • Built with Bun + TypeScript