Use OpenOSINT as an MCP server

The MCP server exposes the OpenOSINT tools to any Model Context Protocol client over stdio. The client's own model drives the tools; OpenOSINT only runs them and returns real output.

Requirements

Install uv. uvx then fetches and runs OpenOSINT on demand, so there is no separate install step. The command every client runs is the same:

uvx --from openosint openosint-mcp

If you installed the package with pip, the executable is openosint-mcp.

Claude Code

claude mcp add openosint -- uvx --from openosint openosint-mcp
claude mcp list

Add API keys with -e flags before the --:

claude mcp add openosint -e SHODAN_API_KEY=your-key -e HIBP_API_KEY=your-key -- uvx --from openosint openosint-mcp

Claude Desktop

Edit claude_desktop_config.json and restart the app. On macOS it is at ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/, on Windows at %APPDATA%\Claude\.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "openosint": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["--from", "openosint", "openosint-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "SHODAN_API_KEY": "your-key"
      }
    }
  }
}

Cursor and other clients

Any client that can launch a stdio MCP server takes the same command and arguments. For Cursor, put the JSON above in ~/.cursor/mcp.json (all projects) or .cursor/mcp.json (one project).

Desktop apps often start with a minimal PATH that does not include uvx. If the server fails to start, replace "uvx" with the absolute path printed by which uvx (macOS, Linux) or where uvx (Windows).

API keys

Put keys in the client's env block, as above. The server is started by the client with an unrelated working directory, so a .env file is not picked up reliably. To use one anyway, point to it:

"env": { "OPENOSINT_ENV_FILE": "/absolute/path/to/.env" }

The configuration page lists every key and which tools need it.

Passive tools only, by default

tools/list returns only the passive tools, so the client's model never sees the noisy ones. Each tool description carries its noise label. To also expose the tools that touch the target or are noisy, do one of:

• append --allow-active after openosint-mcp;
• set OPENOSINT_ALLOW_ACTIVE=1 in the env block.

Read the noise table before you do.

The server does not cap how many tools your client calls. Only investigate_multi, which runs several targets at once, shares one budget of 30 calls by default.

Pin a version

uvx --from openosint==2.36.0 openosint-mcp

From a source checkout, use "command": "python", "args": ["-m", "openosint.mcp_server"].

Example prompt

Investigate example.com. Check its DNS and email authentication, then its registration.

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