Censys MCP Server for Claude Code 9 tools — connect in under 2 minutes
Claude Code is Anthropic's agentic CLI for terminal-first development. Add Censys as an MCP server in one command and Claude Code will discover every tool at runtime — ideal for automation pipelines, CI/CD integration, and headless workflows via the Vinkius.
ASK AI ABOUT THIS MCP SERVER
Vinkius supports streamable HTTP and SSE.
Vinkius Desktop App
The modern way to manage MCP Servers — no config files, no terminal commands. Install Censys and 2,500+ MCP Servers from a single visual interface.
# Your Vinkius token — get it at cloud.vinkius.com
claude mcp add censys --transport http "https://edge.vinkius.com/[YOUR_TOKEN_HERE]/mcp"
* Every MCP server runs on Vinkius-managed infrastructure inside AWS - a purpose-built runtime with per-request V8 isolates, Ed25519 signed audit chains, and sub-40ms cold starts optimized for native MCP execution. See our infrastructure
About Censys MCP Server
Connect to Censys and explore the world's largest internet scanning platform through natural conversation.
Claude Code registers Censys as an MCP server in a single terminal command. Once connected, Claude Code discovers all 9 tools at runtime and can call them headlessly — ideal for CI/CD pipelines, cron jobs, and automated workflows where Censys data drives decisions without human intervention.
What you can do
- Host Search — Search internet-facing hosts by service, port, OS, location and more
- Host Details — Get comprehensive info on any IP including all services and certificates
- Host History — View how a host's services and ports have changed over time
- Certificate Search — Find SSL/TLS certificates by issuer, subject, validity and more
- Certificate Details — Get full parsed certificate data by fingerprint
- Certificate Hosts — Find all hosts using a specific certificate
- Aggregation — Analyze distributions of services, countries and ASNs
- Host Diff — Compare two hosts to identify infrastructure differences
The Censys MCP Server exposes 9 tools through the Vinkius. Connect it to Claude Code in under two minutes — no API keys to rotate, no infrastructure to provision, no vendor lock-in. Your configuration, your data, your control.
How to Connect Censys to Claude Code via MCP
Follow these steps to integrate the Censys MCP Server with Claude Code.
Install Claude Code
Run npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code if not already installed
Add the MCP Server
Run the command above in your terminal
Verify the connection
Run claude mcp to list connected servers, or type /mcp inside a session
Start using Censys
Ask Claude: "Using Censys, show me..." — 9 tools are ready
Why Use Claude Code with the Censys MCP Server
Claude Code provides unique advantages when paired with Censys through the Model Context Protocol.
Single-command setup: `claude mcp add` registers the server instantly — no config files to edit or applications to restart
Terminal-native workflow means MCP tools integrate seamlessly into shell scripts, CI/CD pipelines, and automated DevOps tasks
Claude Code runs headlessly, enabling unattended batch processing using Censys tools in cron jobs or deployment scripts
Built by the same team that created the MCP protocol, ensuring first-class compatibility and the fastest adoption of new protocol features
Censys + Claude Code Use Cases
Practical scenarios where Claude Code combined with the Censys MCP Server delivers measurable value.
CI/CD integration: embed Censys tool calls in your deployment pipeline to validate configurations or fetch secrets before shipping
Headless batch processing: schedule Claude Code to query Censys nightly and generate reports without human intervention
Shell scripting: pipe Censys outputs into other CLI tools for data transformation, filtering, and aggregation
Infrastructure monitoring: run Claude Code in a cron job to query Censys status endpoints and alert on anomalies
Censys MCP Tools for Claude Code (9)
These 9 tools become available when you connect Censys to Claude Code via MCP:
aggregate_hosts
Groups results by a specified field (e.g. "services.port", "location.country", "autonomous_system.name") and returns bucket counts. Useful for understanding the distribution of services, countries or ASNs matching a query. Aggregate host search results by a specific field
get_account_info
Useful for checking remaining API quota and account limits. Get your Censys account information
get_certificate
Returns the full parsed certificate including subject, issuer, validity, key info, extensions, CT logs and raw PEM data. Get detailed info for a specific certificate by fingerprint
get_certificate_hosts
Useful for finding all domains sharing a certificate (SANs). Returns IP addresses, ports and timestamps. Pagination via cursor. Get hosts using a specific certificate
get_host
Returns all open ports, service banners, TLS certificates, operating system detection, geolocation, autonomous system info and last updated timestamps. Get detailed info for a specific IP address
get_host_history
Shows how the host's services, ports and certificates have changed over time. Returns timestamps, services observed and changes detected. Pagination via cursor. Get historical scan data for a specific IP
search_certificates
Supports query syntax: issuer names, subject fields, serial numbers, validity dates, key algorithms, certificate transparency logs and more. Returns fingerprints, subjects, issuers, validity periods and key info. Search for SSL/TLS certificates
search_hosts
Supports powerful query syntax: service names (e.g. "nginx"), ports (e.g. "services.port:443"), protocols, operating systems, autonomous systems, geographic locations and more. Returns IP addresses, open ports, services, banners and locations. Pagination via cursor. Search for internet-connected hosts
view_host_diff
Useful for identifying changes between hosts or finding similar infrastructure. Compare two hosts to see differences
Example Prompts for Censys in Claude Code
Ready-to-use prompts you can give your Claude Code agent to start working with Censys immediately.
"Find all nginx servers in Brazil."
"Get details for IP 8.8.8.8."
"Find certificates issued by Let's Encrypt expiring this month."
Troubleshooting Censys MCP Server with Claude Code
Common issues when connecting Censys to Claude Code through the Vinkius, and how to resolve them.
Command not found: claude
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-codeConnection timeout
Censys + Claude Code FAQ
Common questions about integrating Censys MCP Server with Claude Code.
How do I add an MCP server to Claude Code?
claude mcp add --transport http "" in your terminal. Claude Code registers the server and discovers all tools immediately.Can Claude Code run MCP tools in headless mode?
How do I list all connected MCP servers?
claude mcp in your terminal to see all registered servers and their status, or type /mcp inside an active Claude Code session.Connect Censys with your favorite client
Step-by-step setup guides for every MCP-compatible client and framework:
Anthropic's native desktop app for Claude with built-in MCP support.
AI-first code editor with integrated LLM-powered coding assistance.
GitHub Copilot in VS Code with Agent mode and MCP support.
Purpose-built IDE for agentic AI coding workflows.
Autonomous AI coding agent that runs inside VS Code.
Anthropic's agentic CLI for terminal-first development.
Python SDK for building production-grade OpenAI agent workflows.
Google's framework for building production AI agents.
Type-safe agent development for Python with first-class MCP support.
TypeScript toolkit for building AI-powered web applications.
TypeScript-native agent framework for modern web stacks.
Python framework for orchestrating collaborative AI agent crews.
Leading Python framework for composable LLM applications.
Data-aware AI agent framework for structured and unstructured sources.
Microsoft's framework for multi-agent collaborative conversations.
Connect Censys to Claude Code
Get your token, paste the configuration, and start using 9 tools in under 2 minutes. No API key management needed.