Mcp Shodan
Search and analyze internet-connected devices via Shodan's MCP server for AI assistants
Mcp Shodan is a practical bridge for security professionals who already work inside AI assistants like Claude Code and want quick Shodan lookups without leaving the terminal. It's a thin wrapper: you still need a Shodan API key and familiarity with Shodan query syntax. If you live in a CLI and want speed, it's worth a try. But if you need a full Shodan UI, monitoring, or team collaboration, stick with the Shodan web interface or CLI.
Verified 2d ago · liveness 35/100 · cite: rightaichoice.com/tools/mcp-shodan
- Security researchers running reconnaissance via AI assistants
- Penetration testers automating Shodan lookups in CLI workflows
- DevOps engineers doing quick asset discovery
- Threat intelligence analysts checking CVE/CPE data
- Users without a Shodan API key or subscription
- Users needing real-time streaming or monitoring
- Non-technical managers unfamiliar with Shodan query syntax
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Skip Mcp Shodan if you don't have a Shodan API key or if you need real-time monitoring, Shodan Exploits, or a graphical interface.
You need a paid Shodan plan to get meaningful query volume — the free tier is capped at a very low number of daily queries.
Pricing for Mcp Shodan is free (open-source), but you need a Shodan API key — free tier allows only 100 queries/month, while paid plans start at $59/mo for Monitor (with more queries). Compared to commercial alternatives like Shodan's own web UI or Censys, Mcp Shodan saves the subscription cost if you already have Shodan access, but it's not a standalone replacement.
In short
Mcp Shodan — Search and analyze internet-connected devices via Shodan's MCP server for AI assistants. Best for Security researchers running reconnaissance via AI assistants, Penetration testers automating Shodan lookups in CLI workflows, DevOps engineers doing quick asset discovery. Free to use.
What people actually say about Mcp Shodan — is it worth it?
We ran a structured research pass across product reviews, community discussions, and post-purchase forum threads to surface the patterns vendors won't publish themselves. Below: the recurring strengths, the hidden costs people mention most, and the cohort that consistently regrets adopting this tool.
1 mentions across 1 source (GitHub) · researched Jul 3, 2026.
- +Enables natural language Shodan queries in AI assistants.
- +Automates IP reconnaissance, DNS lookups, and vulnerability checks.
- +Works with popular AI tools like Claude Code and Gemini CLI.
- +Open-source and free to use with your own Shodan API key.
- +Reduces manual Shodan API call complexity for developers.
- −Limited community feedback makes reliability unproven.
- −Requires Shodan API key and compatible AI client setup.
- −Only supports a handful of AI assistant platforms.
- −No documentation on error handling or rate limits.
- −4 open issues hint at unresolved development problems.
- • Shodan API key may have usage costs depending on plan
Viability Score
How well maintained and how widely used is Mcp Shodan? Built from what the vendor actually publishes (docs, changelog, tutorials, integrations, pricing), whether the site is live, and how much real users discuss it. How we calculate this
Last calculated: August 2026
How we score →Key Features
- Natural language search for internet-connected devices
- IP reconnaissance (ports, services, banners)
- DNS lookup (A, AAAA, MX, NS records)
- CVE and CPE vulnerability intelligence
- Reverse DNS resolution
- Hostname enumeration
- Service and port discovery
- OS fingerprinting
- Geolocation data for IP addresses
- SSL/TLS certificate details
- HTTPS certificate analysis
- Shodan query optimization for AI assistants
- Support for Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, Claude Desktop
- Open-source MCP server (free to self-host)
About Mcp Shodan
Mcp Shodan is an open-source MCP server that connects AI assistants like Claude Code, Codex, and Gemini CLI to Shodan's cybersecurity intelligence. It enables natural language queries for searching internet-connected devices, performing IP reconnaissance, retrieving DNS records, and obtaining CVE/CPE vulnerability data. The server translates conversational requests into Shodan API calls and returns structured results, automating asset discovery and vulnerability assessment without leaving the assistant interface. Designed for security researchers and developers, it simplifies tasks that traditionally require manual API calls, making Shodan accessible from chat-based AI tools. Requires a Shodan API key and a compatible AI client.
Behind the Verdict
Mcp Shodan shines for security researchers and penetration testers who want to run Shodan queries from within their AI assistant, saving context switches. The ability to ask in natural language and get structured results is genuinely useful when you're already in a coding flow. For example, you can say 'find devices with CVE-2021-44228' and get a list without opening a browser. The main weaknesses are its dependency on a Shodan API key (free tier is very limited), rate limits tied to your Shodan plan, and the lack of a graphical interface — all output is text. It also doesn't support Shodan Exploits or streaming, so it's not a complete replacement for the Shodan web UI. For heavy users, the direct Shodan CLI is more powerful. But if you're an AI-power-user, this is a handy addition.
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Real-world workflow fit
Concrete scenarios for the personas Mcp Shodan actually fits — and what changes day-one when you adopt it.
You're analyzing a target IP and need a quick port/service breakdown.
Outcome: In Claude Code, you type 'scan IP 8.8.8.8 and list open ports' — Mcp Shodan returns structured JSON with ports, services, and banners, saving you a browser trip.
You're checking for devices affected by a critical CVE.
Outcome: You ask the assistant to 'find devices with CVE-2021-44228' and get a list of IPs with affected software, accelerating your assessment.
You're in a CLI workflow and need DNS reconnaissance for a domain.
Outcome: You ask 'resolve example.com and get MX and NS records' — Mcp Shodan returns the records, letting you stay in your terminal.
Use Cases
- Enumeration of all open ports and services for a target IP using natural language
- Find internet-connected devices with a specific CVE vulnerability
- Resolve domain names to IPs and check associated hostnames
- Perform DNS reconnaissance for subdomains and mail servers
- Extract SSL certificate details for a given host
Limitations
- Requires a valid Shodan API key (free tier restricts results).
- Rate limits depend on Shodan subscription — free accounts have low daily queries.
- No native support for Shodan Exploits or streaming filters.
- No graphical interface — results are plain text.
as of 2026-08-21
Verification history
We have re-verified Mcp Shodan 6 times since . Each pass re-reads the vendor's own pages and re-checks every listed field against that evidence; passes where nothing had changed are marked as such.
- — re-checked, vendor evidence unchanged
- — re-checked, vendor evidence unchanged
- — re-checked, vendor evidence unchanged
- — re-checked, vendor evidence unchanged
- — re-verified summary, description, our verdict, our analysis, pricing model, pricing tiers, features, integrations, who it suits, who should skip it
- — re-verified summary, description, our verdict, our analysis, pricing model, pricing tiers, features, integrations, who it suits, who should skip it
Free to cite with attribution — this page re-verifies continuously.
Where the pricing makes sense
The company stage and team size where Mcp Shodan's pricing actually pencils out — and where peers do it cheaper.
Pricing for Mcp Shodan is free (open-source), but you need a Shodan API key — free tier allows only 100 queries/month, while paid plans start at $59/mo for Monitor (with more queries). Compared to commercial alternatives like Shodan's own web UI or Censys, Mcp Shodan saves the subscription cost if you already have Shodan access, but it's not a standalone replacement.
Setup time & first value
How long it actually takes to get something useful out of Mcp Shodan — broken out by persona, not the marketing-page minute.
If you already have a Shodan API key and an MCP-compatible client, you can get Mcp Shodan running in under 30 minutes by installing via npm and configuring the client. First query within minutes.
Switching to or from Mcp Shodan
How to bring data in from common predecessors and how to get it back out — written for the switcher, not the buyer.
- →From Shodan web UI: Learn natural language queries to replace manual UI interactions.
- →From direct Shodan CLI: Swap to natural language prompts, but you'll need to adapt to MCP syntax.
- ↗To Shodan web UI: Use it if you need a graphical interface, monitoring, or team features.
- ↗To Shodan CLI: For advanced scripting, the CLI offers more direct control and streaming filters.
Resources & Guides
Tutorials & Learning
Official links
Tools that pair well with Mcp Shodan
Common stack mates teams adopt alongside Mcp Shodan, with the specific reason each pairing earns its keep.
Featured Head-to-Head Comparisons
Mcp Shodan vs Audioeye
Choose Mcp Shodan if you're a security pro needing free, AI-assisted internet scanning via tools like Claude Code. Choose AudioEye if you're an enterprise focused on WCAG compliance, automated remediation, and reducing legal risk. They serve entirely different domains—pick the one matching your core task.
Mcp Shodan vs Temporal Ai
Temporal AI is for teams who need bulletproof workflow durability with automatic retries and state recovery, but it's overkill for simple tasks. Mcp Shodan is a lightweight, free MCP server for Shodan lookups — great for security pros who want fast device data in their AI assistant. Choose Temporal if you orchestrate complex, long-running processes; choose Mcp Shodan if you only need Shodan queries via natural language.
Mcp Shodan vs Push Security
If you're a security or identity team battling browser-based attacks and AI data leakage, Push Security is the clear choice—it blocks AiTM phishing and provides agentic threat hunting. For security researchers who need quick Shodan lookups from an AI assistant, Mcp Shodan is a free, lightweight tool. They solve different problems entirely.
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