Shodan MCP. Map exposed services and scan global assets.
Shodan MCP connects your AI client directly to Shodan's massive database of internet-connected devices. Use it to scan for exposed services, analyze network ports, and discover vulnerabilities across the global IoT landscape. Get detailed reports on specific IP addresses or search by OS, product, or country.
Give Claude and any AI agent real-world access
You can search across the internet using filters like country code, product name, or specific operating system.
Fetch a complete report on any IP address, including all open ports, banners, and associated vulnerability data.
Translate one or more domain names into their corresponding numeric IP addresses.
Run a check to monitor your remaining query credits and API plan status for the Shodan service.
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What AI agents can do with Shodan With 10 Tools
These tools let you perform every kind of advanced network investigation, from simple IP lookups to deep vulnerability analysis.
Make your AI actually useful.
Add this MCP to Claude, Cursor, or Windsurf and your AI stops guessing. It gets real tools to look things up, take action, and handle the stuff you keep doing by hand.
Start using Shodan MCPGet Account Info
Checks your current Shodan account limits, showing remaining usage credits for the service.
Get Api Info
Retrieves specific details about your API plan and associated billing information.
Dns Resolve
Converts a list of domain names (hostnames) into their corresponding IP addresses.
Get Facets
Lists available search filters and groupings, helping you build complex query logic...
Get Host Info
Pulls all open port data, hostnames, location, and service banners for a single IP...
Get Host Count
Estimates the total number of results that would match a specific search query before running the full scan.
Get My Ip
Identifies and returns your current public, external IP address for network documentation.
Get Ports
Provides a definitive list of all ports that Shodan actively scans and monitors...
Reverse Dns
Converts known IP addresses back into their associated domain names (hostnames).
Search Hosts
Conducts a broad search across the internet using powerful filters like product...
Security and governance baked right in.
Pick your AI client below to get set up. Just create a Vinkius account, subscribe, and you're instantly up and running. We handle the entire backend infrastructure, delivering out-of-the-box support for HTTPS Streamable, SSE, and OAuth2—zero messy routing required.
Choose How to Get Started
Build a custom MCP for your own tools, or connect a ready-made integration from our catalog.
Build Your Own
Turn any API into an MCP. Import a spec, define Agent Skills, or deploy with MCPFusion.
- Import from OpenAPI, Swagger, or YAML specs
- Create Agent Skills with progressive disclosure
- Deploy to edge with MCPFusion framework
- Built in DLP, auth, and compliance on each call
- Real time usage dashboard and cost metering
- Publish to catalog or keep private
Make Your AI Do More
Start with Shodan, then connect any of our 5,200+ other servers whenever your AI needs more. One click, no limits.
- Use this MCP plus 5,200+ others, all in one place
- Add new capabilities to your AI anytime you want
- Connections are secured and governed automatically
- Track usage and costs across all your servers
- Works with Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, and more
- New servers added to the catalog weekly
Independent Platform Disclaimer: Vinkius is an independent platform and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, verified by, or otherwise authorized by Shodan. 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.
VINKIUS CLOUD
Cloud Hosted
Managed infra
V8 Isolated
Sandboxed per request
Zero-Trust Proxy
No stored credentials
DLP Enforced
Policy on each call
GDPR Compliant
EU data residency
Token Compression
~60% cost reduction
The Network Blind Spot
Today, figuring out what a target organization or even your own network is exposing feels like clicking through three different dashboards: one for DNS records, another for open ports, and a third for known vulnerabilities. You're constantly copy-pasting IPs from one tool into the next just to piece together a full picture of their attack surface.
With this MCP, you skip all that manual work. Your agent runs complex queries against Shodan’s massive index. Instead of fragmented data points, you get a single, structured report detailing every open port, banner grab, and associated vulnerability across the entire internet.
Shodan MCP: Full Asset Discovery
You no longer need to manually run separate lookups for hostnames, IP addresses, or ports. The capability to perform a broad search using powerful filters—like product name and country code—and then follow up with get_host_info means you can map the entire digital footprint in minutes.
It's about depth over breadth. You go from simply knowing an IP exists to understanding exactly what services are running on every open port, right down to the specific banner version.
What Shodan MCP does for your AI
This MCP lets you treat the entire internet like a searchable database. Instead of running separate tools—one for DNS lookups, another for checking banners, and yet another for finding open ports—you just ask your AI client. It handles connecting to Shodan's search engine automatically.
Need to check what services are exposed by an IP address? You can get a full breakdown: open ports, running hostnames, geographic location, and operating system details. Want to track down specific types of devices? You can filter searches by product name like 'nginx' or OS type like 'Windows'. Even if you just want to know your own external IP for firewall rules, the MCP handles that query instantly.
Because Vinkius hosts this Shodan MCP, all these advanced networking tools are available in one place, letting you run complex network investigations without switching catalogs.
019d847f-6a5c-70fc-8e08-4f93c4dffb3c How to set up Shodan MCP
The bottom line is that this MCP lets you run advanced network discovery queries using simple, natural language prompts.
First, subscribe to this MCP in Vinkius and enter your unique Shodan API Key into your AI client.
Next, tell your agent exactly what you're looking for—for example, 'Find all open SSH ports running Debian in Germany.'
The system runs the query through Shodan and returns structured data showing matching IPs, services, and relevant vulnerability details.
Who uses Shodan MCP
This is for the security researcher who needs to map an entire attack surface in minutes. It’s for the sysadmin tired of manually checking firewall rules and port lists. Use it if you deal with infrastructure exposure or threat intelligence daily.
Runs targeted searches to discover forgotten or exposed services, mapping potential vulnerabilities across target networks.
Monitors the organization's external footprint, checking for misconfigured open ports or unusual service banners on public IPs.
Identifies trends and device distribution patterns by searching specific product types (e.g., smart cameras) across national boundaries.
Benefits of connecting Shodan MCP
You stop guessing what's out there. By running a search query, you can find specific devices by product (e.g., 'apache') or vulnerability ID, allowing precise threat hunting.
No more single-point checks. You get a comprehensive report on any IP address—open ports, location, OS, and service banners—all in one data dump using the detailed host info tool.
Quickly check your own network boundaries with get_my_ip to confirm what external services are visible to the outside world. This is great for compliance checks.
Save time on reconnaissance. Instead of running multiple manual lookups, you use dns_resolve or reverse_dns to map out an entire domain’s infrastructure instantly.
Know your limits before you start. Use get_account_info to monitor usage credits and ensure your AI client doesn't fail halfway through a major scan.
Shodan MCP use cases
Mapping a Target Company's Infrastructure
A security analyst needs to understand all internet-facing assets for a new client. They prompt their agent to 'Search for open ports across the target company's IP range, filtering by country and OS.' The agent uses search_hosts to return hundreds of potential entry points, which are then refined using get_host_info.
Investigating a Suspicious Domain
A team noticed an odd domain name. They first use dns_resolve to confirm the IP address, and then immediately run reverse_dns on that IP to see if any other hostnames are associated with it. This quickly builds a picture of potential ownership.
Auditing Internal Exposure
A sysadmin wants to know which services their own network exposes inadvertently. They run get_my_ip and then use that IP for a detailed host info check, identifying misconfigured ports or unneeded banners.
Analyzing IoT Device Trends
An IoT analyst needs to see how many 'Nest' cameras are exposed in specific regions. They run search_hosts using the product filter and limit by a country code, giving them actionable data on device distribution.
Shodan MCP tradeoffs
What to watch out for, and the recommended way to handle each one.
Thinking of it as a simple IP checker
Just typing 'what is 8.8.8.8' and expecting one clean answer.
You need to be specific. Use get_host_info for the full picture, or use reverse_dns if you suspect multiple hostnames are linked to that IP.
Forgetting credentials
Running a complex query and getting an 'API Limit Exceeded' error mid-process.
Always start by running get_account_info. This confirms your credit balance before you commit to a long, resource-heavy search.
Confusing location data
Assuming the geographic location returned is the physical site owner's address.
Remember that location data comes from network records. To check for specific services, use get_facets to see available filters before constructing your search.
When to use Shodan MCP
Use this MCP if your goal is deep, structured reconnaissance of internet-facing infrastructure or open ports. You need to map what's physically or digitally exposed on the public internet—that’s its core function. It excels at answering 'What services are available here?' and 'How many devices match these criteria?'. Don't use this if you just want simple information, like finding a single URL; for that, your standard web search is fine. If your goal is purely to check firewall rules on a private network segment (e.g., 192.168.x.x), Shodan won't help because it only scans the public internet. For internal asset management, you need an internal monitoring tool instead.
Frequently asked questions about Shodan MCP
How does Shodan MCP help me find vulnerabilities? +
It helps by allowing you to search for devices using vulnerability identifiers (vuln:CVE-...) and then retrieving detailed host info that includes known service banners.
Can I use the Shodan MCP to check my own IP address? +
Yes. Use get_my_ip to confirm your current public IP, which is useful for documenting firewall rules and access control lists.
What if I only have a list of domain names? How do I start the scan? +
Start with dns_resolve. This tool takes your comma-separated hostnames and converts them into IP addresses, which you can then use for reverse_dns or get_host_info.
Is this MCP better than running a traditional port scanner? +
Yes, because it uses Shodan's index of millions of devices. It gives you global visibility across the internet, not just what your local machine can reach.
How do I check my usage credits with Shodan MCP? +
Use get_account_info to run a quick check on your remaining query credits and API plan details before launching any major search operation.