How to Use the Censys MCP in Cline

Q: How can Cline and Censys help me find all domains that share an SSL certificate?

First, ask Cline to get information for a known host with gethost to find its certificate fingerprint. Then, feed that fingerprint back to Cline and ask it to find all hosts with that certificate using getcertificatehosts.

Build security dashboards and tools in VS Code. Cline uses live Censys data to write the code for you.

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Connect Censys MCP to Cline

Create your Vinkius account to connect Censys to Cline and route execution through our secure gateway. The platform manages server hosting, runtime updates, and security layers. Configuration requires no manual server provisioning.

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Setup Censys with Cline

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Code Security Dashboards with Live Data

Ask Cline to build a component that displays open ports for a list of company IPs. Your agent will use the `get_host` tool to fetch live data directly from the Censys service. Cline doesn't just show you the data; it writes the code. It creates the component file, adds state management, handles the API call via this MCP server, and even writes the tests. You get working code that pulls directly from Censys's view of the internet.

Generate Reports with the Censys MCP Server

Need a report on expiring SSL certificates? Tell Cline to check a list of domains. It will use `search_certificates` to find the certificates and parse their expiration dates for you. Cline then takes that data and formats it into a markdown file, a CSV, or whatever format you need. It can even stage the new file in git for you. This MCP connection turns a manual research task into a single prompt.

Audit Infrastructure from Your IDE

Use `aggregate_hosts` to get a high-level view of your infrastructure. For example, ask Cline, "Show me a breakdown of all our production servers by country." Your agent calls the tool and then builds a simple chart or table right in a new file, giving you an instant overview. This is way faster than logging into a web UI and running reports. This MCP server connects Cline to real-world network data.

Setup guide

Set up Censys MCP in Cline

Prerequisites

VS Code with Cline extension installed
Active Vinkius subscription with a valid endpoint token

1

Open Cline MCP settings

Click the Cline icon in the VS Code sidebar to open the Cline panel. Then click the MCP Servers icon (server stack) at the top-right corner of the panel.
2

Add a remote server

Click "Remote Servers" at the top, then click "Add Remote MCP". In the Name field, type censys-mcp. In the URL field, paste your Vinkius endpoint: https://edge.vinkius.com/[YOUR_TOKEN_HERE]/mcp. Get your token from cloud.vinkius.com.
3

Enable the server

After saving, the server appears in the Cline MCP panel. Toggle the switch to enable it. The status indicator turns green when the connection is live.
4

Start using tools

Return to the Cline chat and ask: "Check my latest Censys refund status." Cline will discover the available tools and request your approval before invoking each one — giving you full control over every action.

Cline MCP Settings

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "censys-mcp": {
      "url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/[YOUR_TOKEN_HERE]/mcp"
    }
  }
}

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Independent Platform Disclaimer: Vinkius is an independent platform and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, verified by, or otherwise authorized by Censys. All third-party trademarks, logos, and brand names are the property of their respective owners. Their use on this website is strictly for informational purposes to identify service compatibility and interoperability.

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Common questions about Censys MCP in Cline

Yes. You can ask Cline to create a script that periodically runs `get_host` on your IPs and diffs the output against a baseline. Cline will write the script and explain how to run it.

Just ask it directly: "Use Censys to find all hosts running Apache 2.4.53." Cline will formulate the correct query for the `search_hosts` tool and generate a file with the results.

Yes, every tool call made by Cline to the Censys server consumes your API quota. You can check your remaining balance by asking Cline to use the `get_account_info` tool.

First, ask Cline to get information for a known host with `get_host` to find its certificate fingerprint. Then, feed that fingerprint back to Cline and ask it to find all hosts with that certificate using `get_certificate_hosts`.

Vinkius manages your Censys API key, so it never lives in your editor's configuration. The only data transmitted is your prompt, the specific tool calls Cline makes (like a query for `search_hosts`), and the resulting host or certificate data from Censys.

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