How to Use the Censys MCP in VS Code Copilot

Q: How does VS Code Copilot compare two hosts using Censys?

Your agent invokes viewhostdiff with two target IP addresses. It then displays a clear diff of open ports, service banners, and TLS configurations directly in your chat window.

Q: Where are my Censys API tokens and queried IP scan targets stored by this MCP Server?

Your Censys API tokens are stored in your local .vscode/mcp.json or user configuration, which never leaves your machine unless you explicitly commit it. Scan targets, queried hostnames, and certificate fingerprints are processed in memory and never written to persistent logs.

Connect VS Code Copilot to Censys to audit exposed services and verify SSL certificates directly from your workspace.

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Connect Censys MCP to VS Code Copilot

Create your Vinkius account to connect Censys to VS Code Copilot 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 VS Code Copilot

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Audit exposed services with this MCP Server

`search_hosts` queries the global Censys database for internet-connected hosts matching specific ports, protocols, or operating systems directly within VS Code Copilot. Your Copilot agent uses this Censys data to map out exposed assets and flag potential vulnerabilities in your project files. This integration turns VS Code Copilot into an active security scanner. You can quickly search for "services.port:22" or specific HTTP banners to verify that your team's public-facing Censys assets are properly configured.

Track network configuration drift in VS Code Copilot

`get_host_history` retrieves historical scan data for any IP address to show how its open ports and certificates have changed inside VS Code Copilot. By parsing this Censys timeline, your Copilot agent helps your engineering team identify when an unauthorized port was opened or a service banner changed. Having this history in your editor helps you debug routing issues using the MCP configuration. You compare historical Censys states directly against your current infrastructure configuration files.

Group global host data by geographic location

`aggregate_hosts` groups your search results by fields like country, service port, or autonomous system name directly in VS Code Copilot. Copilot takes this aggregated Censys data and formats it into clean markdown tables or JSON files inside your workspace. This allows your team to analyze Censys host distributions without writing custom aggregation scripts in VS Code. You get instant counts of where your exposed services are physically hosted.

Setup guide

Set up Censys MCP in VS Code Copilot

Prerequisites

VS Code 1.99 or later with GitHub Copilot extension
Active Vinkius subscription with a valid endpoint token

1

Open MCP configuration

Open the Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P / Ctrl+Shift+P) and run "MCP: Add Server". Select HTTP (Streamable) as the server type. VS Code will create .vscode/mcp.json in your workspace.
2

Add the Censys MCP

Paste the JSON snippet shown on the right into your .vscode/mcp.json. Replace [YOUR_TOKEN_HERE] with your endpoint token from cloud.vinkius.com.
3

Switch to Agent mode

Open Copilot Chat (Cmd+Shift+I / Ctrl+Shift+I) and switch to Agent mode using the dropdown. MCP tools are only available in Agent mode — they do not appear in Edit or Ask modes.
4

Verify the connection

In the Copilot Chat input, type # to list available tools. You should see the Censys tools listed. Try asking: "List my recent Censys transactions" and Copilot will invoke them automatically.

.vscode/mcp.json

{
  "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 VS Code Copilot

You ask Copilot Chat to check your current plan usage. The underlying MCP server calls `get_account_info` and displays your remaining query quota directly in the chat panel.

Yes, you can pass a SHA-256 fingerprint to Copilot Chat. It runs `get_certificate` to fetch the complete parsed certificate, including validity dates and key info, directly into your editor.

Your agent invokes `view_host_diff` with two target IP addresses. It then displays a clear diff of open ports, service banners, and TLS configurations directly in your chat window.

Yes, you can query for shared certificates. The server runs `get_certificate_hosts` to return every IP and domain using that specific certificate, allowing Copilot to map out related hostnames.

Your Censys API tokens are stored in your local `.vscode/mcp.json` or user configuration, which never leaves your machine unless you explicitly commit it. Scan targets, queried hostnames, and certificate fingerprints are processed in memory and never written to persistent logs.

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