Bring Internet Scanning
to VS Code Copilot
Create your Vinkius account to connect Censys to VS Code Copilot and start using all 9 AI tools in minutes. Fully managed, enterprise secure, and ready to use without writing a single line of code. No hosting, no server setup — just connect and start using.
GDPR Free for SubscribersCompatible with every major AI agent and IDE
Gemini
What is the Censys MCP Server?
Connect to Censys and explore the world's largest internet scanning platform through natural conversation.
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
How it works
- Subscribe to this server
- Enter your Censys API ID and Secret
- Start exploring internet exposure data from Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-compatible client
Who is this for?
- Security Researchers — discover exposed services, track vulnerabilities and analyze attack surfaces
- Sysadmins — monitor their organization's external exposure and identify misconfigurations
- Threat Hunters — track certificate usage, find related infrastructure and identify suspicious hosts
Built-in capabilities (9)
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
Useful for checking remaining API quota and account limits. Get your Censys account information
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
Useful for finding all domains sharing a certificate (SANs). Returns IP addresses, ports and timestamps. Pagination via cursor. Get hosts using a specific certificate
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
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
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
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
Useful for identifying changes between hosts or finding similar infrastructure. Compare two hosts to see differences
Why VS Code Copilot?
GitHub Copilot Agent mode brings Censys data directly into your VS Code workflow. With a project-scoped config, the entire team shares access to 9 tools. Copilot queries live data, generates typed code, and writes tests from actual API responses, all without leaving the editor.
- —
VS Code is used by over 70% of developers. adding MCP tools to Copilot means your team can leverage external data without leaving their primary editor
- —
Project-scoped MCP configs (
.vscode/mcp.json) let you commit server configurations to your repository, ensuring the entire team shares the same tool access - —
Copilot's Agent mode integrates MCP tools seamlessly with file editing, terminal commands, and workspace search in a single agentic loop
- —
GitHub's enterprise compliance and audit features extend to MCP tool usage, providing visibility into how AI interacts with external services
Censys in VS Code Copilot
Why run Censys with Vinkius?
The Censys connection runs on our fully managed, secure cloud infrastructure. We handle the hosting, maintenance, and security so you don't have to deal with servers or code. All 9 tools are ready to work instantly without any complex setup.
You stay in complete control of your data. Your AI only accesses the information you approve, keeping your sensitive passwords and private details completely safe. Plus, with automatic optimizations, your AI works faster and more efficiently.
* Every connection is hosted and maintained by Vinkius. We handle the security, updates, and infrastructure so you don't have to write code or manage servers. See our infrastructure
Over 4,000 integrations ready for AI agents
Explore a vast library of pre-built integrations, optimized and ready to deploy.
Connect securely in under 30 seconds
Generate tokens to authenticate and link external services in a single step.
Complete visibility into every agent action
Audit live requests, latency, success rates, and active security compliance policies.
Optimize spending and track token ROI
Analyze real-time token consumption and cost metrics detailed by connection.
Explore our live AI Agents Analytics dashboard to see it all working
This dashboard is included when you connect Censys using Vinkius. You will never be left in the dark about what your AI agents are doing with your tools.
Censys and 4,000+ other AI tools. No hosting, no code, ready to use.
Professionals who connect Censys to VS Code Copilot through Vinkius don't need to write code, manage servers, or worry about security. Everything is pre-configured, secure, and runs automatically in the background.
Raw MCP | Vinkius | |
|---|---|---|
| Ready-to-use MCPs | Find and configure each manually | 4,000+ MCPs ready to use |
| Connection Setup | Manual coding & server setup | 1-click instant connection |
| Server Hosting | You host it yourself (needs 24/7 uptime) | 100% hosted & managed by Vinkius |
| Security & Privacy | Stored in plaintext config files | Bank-grade encrypted vault |
| Activity Visibility | Blind execution (no logs or tracking) | Live dashboard with real-time logs |
| Cost Control | Runaway AI token spend risk | Automatic budget limits |
| Revoking Access | Must delete files or code to stop | 1-click disconnect button |
How Vinkius secures
Censys for VS Code Copilot
Every request between VS Code Copilot and Censys is protected by our secure gateway. We automatically keep your sensitive data private, prevent unauthorized access, and let you disconnect instantly at any time.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get Censys API credentials?
Sign up for a free account at censys.io, go to your account page and generate API credentials. Free tier includes limited queries per day.
What kind of hosts can I find?
Censys scans the entire IPv4 space regularly. You can find web servers, databases, SSH servers, mail servers, IoT devices, industrial control systems and any internet-facing service.
What query syntax is supported?
Censys supports powerful query syntax: service name (services.service_name: HTTP), port (services.port:443), certificate fields (parsed.subject.country: US), OS detection (metadata.os: Linux), ASN, geographic location and boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT).
Which VS Code version supports MCP?
MCP support requires VS Code 1.99 or later with the GitHub Copilot extension. Ensure both are updated to the latest version. Older versions of Copilot may not expose the Agent mode toggle.
How do I switch to Agent mode?
Open the Copilot Chat panel and look for two mode options: "Ask" and "Agent". Click "Agent" to enable autonomous tool calling. In Ask mode, Copilot provides conversational answers but cannot invoke MCP tools.
Can I restrict which MCP tools Copilot can access?
Yes. VS Code shows a tool consent dialog before any MCP tool is invoked for the first time. You can also configure tool access policies at the organization level through GitHub Copilot settings.
Does MCP work in VS Code Remote or Codespaces?
Yes. MCP servers configured via .vscode/mcp.json work in Remote SSH, WSL, and GitHub Codespaces environments. The MCP connection is established from the remote host, so ensure the server URL is accessible from that environment.
MCP tools not available
Ensure you are in Agent mode in Copilot Chat. MCP tools only appear in Agent mode.
Explore More MCP Servers
View all →
Easemob / 环信
10 toolsPioneer massive scale IM Chat SDK and API — manage users, groups, and real-time messaging via AI.
Basin
12 toolsForm backend and lead capture automation — manage form submissions, filter spam, and trigger webhooks via AI.
Every.org
12 toolsEnable donations to over a million nonprofits through a single integration with tax-deductible receipts and giving widgets.
Sellfy
12 toolsOpen your online store in minutes and sell physical products, digital downloads, subscriptions, and print-on-demand merchandise.