What is @codetidy/mcp-live?

A free MCP server with 12 live network tools — DNS lookup, WHOIS, SSL checker, HTTP headers, IP geolocation, and more. It lets AI agents like Claude, Cursor, and Windsurf perform real network queries without leaving the conversation.

How is this different from @codetidy/mcp?

The main @codetidy/mcp server has 62 offline, deterministic tools (JSON formatting, Base64, hashing). It never touches the network (openWorldHint: false). @codetidy/mcp-live makes real outbound network requests (openWorldHint: true). They are separate packages to preserve the trust contract and avoid MCP client tool-count limits.

Yes, completely free. MIT licensed, no API keys, no signup, no usage limits. All tools use free public APIs (DNS-over-HTTPS, IANA RDAP registries).

Can I use both MCP servers together?

Yes. Add both to your MCP client config — codetidy for 62 offline tools and codetidy-live for 12 network tools. They complement each other: 74 total tools covering deterministic computation and live network queries.

Which DNS record types can I look up?

The DNS lookup tool supports A, AAAA, CNAME, TXT, NS, SOA, MX, CAA, and SRV record types. The MX lookup tool is specialized for mail exchange records with priority sorting.

How does the DNS propagation checker work?

It queries your domain across multiple global DNS resolvers (Google, Cloudflare, Quad9, OpenDNS, and others) and compares results. This shows whether DNS changes have propagated worldwide or if some resolvers still have stale records.

What does the security headers audit check?

It inspects Content-Security-Policy, Strict-Transport-Security (HSTS), X-Content-Type-Options, X-Frame-Options, Referrer-Policy, and Permissions-Policy. Each header is graded, and the tool returns an overall security score.

Does the WHOIS tool use the old WHOIS protocol?

No. It uses RDAP (Registration Data Access Protocol), the modern JSON-based successor to raw WHOIS. RDAP is maintained by IANA and provides structured, machine-readable domain registration data.

Can I run it locally without the remote server?

Yes. Install via npx @codetidy/mcp-live for a local stdio server. This is useful for self-hosting, testing, or environments without internet access to our remote endpoint.

MCP-Live: Network Tools for AI Agents

Give your AI agent access to 12 live network tools — DNS lookups, WHOIS queries, SSL certificate checks, HTTP header inspection, IP geolocation, and more. A companion to @codetidy/mcp (62 offline tools).

Quick Setup — Remote Server (Recommended)

No installation required. Just add the URL to your MCP client config.

Claude Code

Run this command in your terminal:

claude mcp add codetidy-live \
  --transport http \
  https://mcp-live.codetidy.dev/mcp

Claude Desktop / Cursor

Add to your config alongside @codetidy/mcp:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "codetidy": {
      "type": "url",
      "url": "https://mcp.codetidy.dev"
    },
    "codetidy-live": {
      "type": "url",
      "url": "https://mcp-live.codetidy.dev"
    }
  }
}

Claude Web (claude.ai)

Add as a custom connector in Settings → Integrations:

https://mcp-live.codetidy.dev/mcp

Local Server (npm)

For offline testing or self-hosting (requires Node.js 18+):

npx -y @codetidy/mcp-live

12 Live Network Tools

DNS Tools (5)

DNS Lookup — query A, AAAA, CNAME, TXT, NS, SOA, MX, CAA, and SRV records for any domain
Reverse DNS — find the hostname for an IP address via PTR record lookup
MX Lookup — check mail exchange records with priority sorting for email configuration
DNS Propagation Checker — verify DNS changes across global resolvers (Google, Cloudflare, Quad9, OpenDNS)
Email Auth Checker — validate SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records for email deliverability

Network Tools (4)

IP Lookup — geolocation, ASN, ISP, and network info for any IP address
Website Status — check if a site is up or down with response time and HTTP status code
HTTP Headers — inspect response headers for any URL, including caching, CORS, and security headers
Redirect Trace — follow the full redirect chain from initial URL to final destination

Security Tools (3)

WHOIS Lookup — domain registration info via RDAP (the modern JSON-based successor to raw WHOIS)
SSL/TLS Checker — inspect certificates, expiration dates, chain validity, and HSTS status
Security Headers Audit — check Content-Security-Policy, HSTS, X-Frame-Options, and more with a letter grade

Why a Separate Package?

The main @codetidy/mcp server declares openWorldHint: false — it never touches the network. MCP clients like Claude auto-approve these tools because they're safe, deterministic, and offline. Live network tools are fundamentally different: they make outbound requests and return variable results. Mixing them would break the trust contract.

Separating also avoids MCP client tool-count limits (Cursor caps at 40 tools). With both servers, your agent gets 74 tools across two focused packages.

How It Works

All 12 tools use free, public APIs that require no authentication:

DNS queries — DNS-over-HTTPS (RFC 8484) for structured JSON responses
WHOIS data — IANA's RDAP registries, the modern JSON-based successor to legacy WHOIS
SSL/HTTP inspection — direct requests to target URLs, reading certificate info and response headers
IP geolocation — edge runtime request metadata

No API keys. No rate limits. No cost.

Example Workflows

"Check if our DNS migration is complete" — the agent runs DNS propagation across global resolvers and reports which have updated
"Is our SSL cert about to expire?" — SSL checker returns exact expiration, chain status, and HSTS config
"Why are emails going to spam?" — email auth checker validates SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records and flags misconfigurations
"Trace the redirect chain for this URL" — redirect checker follows every hop with status codes, useful for SEO debugging

Tool Annotations

Every tool declares these MCP annotations:

openWorldHint: true — makes real outbound network requests
readOnlyHint: true — only reads, never modifies external state
destructiveHint: false — safe to call
idempotentHint: false — results can vary (network-dependent)

Also See

@codetidy/mcp — 62 offline, deterministic developer tools (JSON, Base64, hashing, UUID, and more)
SSL Decoder — browser-based SSL certificate decoder
HTTP Status Codes — interactive HTTP status code reference
Announcement blog post

Frequently Asked Questions

What is @codetidy/mcp-live?: A free MCP server with 12 live network tools — DNS lookup, WHOIS, SSL checker, HTTP headers, IP geolocation, and more. It lets AI agents like Claude, Cursor, and Windsurf perform real network queries without leaving the conversation.
How is this different from @codetidy/mcp?: The main @codetidy/mcp server has 62 offline, deterministic tools (JSON formatting, Base64, hashing). It never touches the network (openWorldHint: false). @codetidy/mcp-live makes real outbound network requests (openWorldHint: true). They are separate packages to preserve the trust contract and avoid MCP client tool-count limits.
Is it free?: Yes, completely free. MIT licensed, no API keys, no signup, no usage limits. All tools use free public APIs (DNS-over-HTTPS, IANA RDAP registries).
Can I use both MCP servers together?: Yes. Add both to your MCP client config — codetidy for 62 offline tools and codetidy-live for 12 network tools. They complement each other: 74 total tools covering deterministic computation and live network queries.
Which DNS record types can I look up?: The DNS lookup tool supports A, AAAA, CNAME, TXT, NS, SOA, MX, CAA, and SRV record types. The MX lookup tool is specialized for mail exchange records with priority sorting.
How does the DNS propagation checker work?: It queries your domain across multiple global DNS resolvers (Google, Cloudflare, Quad9, OpenDNS, and others) and compares results. This shows whether DNS changes have propagated worldwide or if some resolvers still have stale records.
What does the security headers audit check?: It inspects Content-Security-Policy, Strict-Transport-Security (HSTS), X-Content-Type-Options, X-Frame-Options, Referrer-Policy, and Permissions-Policy. Each header is graded, and the tool returns an overall security score.
Does the WHOIS tool use the old WHOIS protocol?: No. It uses RDAP (Registration Data Access Protocol), the modern JSON-based successor to raw WHOIS. RDAP is maintained by IANA and provides structured, machine-readable domain registration data.
Can I run it locally without the remote server?: Yes. Install via npx @codetidy/mcp-live for a local stdio server. This is useful for self-hosting, testing, or environments without internet access to our remote endpoint.