# Canal Nav (remote · mcp.canalnav.com)

Plan canal routes on Great Britain's waterways: lock-aware timing, live closures, boat-fit checks.

- Trust score: 62/100 (medium)
- Registry status: active
- Liveness: live
- Owner verified: no
- Last scored: 2026-08-03

## Components

- remote · `mcp.canalnav.com`: 62/100 (this document), [markdown](https://verifymcp.io/servers/com-canalnav-canal-nav/mcp.md), [page](https://verifymcp.io/servers/com-canalnav-canal-nav/mcp)

## Channel facts

- Endpoint: `https://mcp.canalnav.com/mcp`
- Transports: `streamable-http`
- Auth: `none`
- Version: `1.0.0`

## Trust breakdown

How this component scores in each security and reliability category. Every signal is checked automatically against the live server, and we only credit what we can confirm. Scores are 0–100 per category. Scoring method: https://verifymcp.io/docs/scoring (what has changed: https://verifymcp.io/docs/scoring/changelog)

Scored 2026-08-03.

- **Endpoint Security**: 57/100
  - The endpoint's TLS certificate is valid, in date, and uses a strong key.
  - Authorisation not fully verified: no authorisation is required to call this server, and 6 tool(s) never declared a destructiveHint. The MCP spec treats an absent hint as destructive by default, so we cannot call this surface safe.
  - HTTPS is enforced; there's no plaintext access path.
  - HSTS check failed: the Strict-Transport-Security header is absent.
  - DNSSEC check failed: this domain isn't protected by DNSSEC.
- **Transport & Reachability**: 100/100
  - Verified streamable-http transport via a live MCP handshake.
- **Schema Quality & AI Usability**: 64/100
  - AI-judged instruction clarity (excellent).
  - Context-footprint check failed: tool/resource definitions use about 1731 tokens (~288/item across 6 items; 6 tools + 0 resources), over budget; trim descriptions and params.
  - Usage-examples check failed: none of the tools include examples.
- **Stability & Change Management**: 10/100
  - Stability observed for 3 of 30 days with no destabilising changes; credit accrues until the full window elapses.
- **Tool Coverage**: 100/100
  - 100% of tools have a non-trivial description (not blank, and not just the tool's name).
  - 100% of tool parameters carry a description.
- **Capabilities**: 100/100
  - Implements a supported MCP spec version (2025-11-25); the latest is 2026-07-28.

## Install

### Claude

```bash
claude mcp add --transport http com-canalnav-canal-nav https://mcp.canalnav.com/mcp
```

### Codex

```toml
[mcp_servers.com-canalnav-canal-nav]
url = "https://mcp.canalnav.com/mcp"
```

### opencode

```json
{
  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
  "mcp": {
    "com-canalnav-canal-nav": {
      "type": "remote",
      "url": "https://mcp.canalnav.com/mcp",
      "enabled": true
    }
  }
}
```

### OpenClaw

```bash
openclaw mcp add com-canalnav-canal-nav --url https://mcp.canalnav.com/mcp --transport streamable-http
```

### Hermes

```yaml
mcp_servers:
  com-canalnav-canal-nav:
    url: "https://mcp.canalnav.com/mcp"
```

### Other

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "com-canalnav-canal-nav": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://mcp.canalnav.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

The mcpServers block is a cross-client convention. Remote transports vary, so check your client's docs.

## Changelog

Every change recorded for this component, newest first. Days that predate change tracking, or that we cannot explain, say so: "we were watching and nothing happened" and "we were not watching" are different claims.

### 2026-08-02 (score 62, +1)

No change was recorded against any check on this day. Stability & Change Management went from 3 to 7. That category is still filling its 30-day observation window: 1 days of observed history at the previous scan, 2 at this one. The score rises as the window fills, whether or not the server changes.

### 2026-08-01 (score 61, +1)

- [functional] We updated how we score, so this day's move reflects our rubric, not a change to the server

### 2026-07-31 (score 60)

First indexed and scored.

## MCP tools (6)

### `plan_route` (~478 tokens)

Plan a canal route

Plan a boat journey between two points on the inland waterways of Great Britain (canals and navigable rivers). The route follows the water itself, not roads. It counts every lock and estimates cruising time from realistic boat speed plus time per lock. Live closures and stoppages from every GB navigation authority (Canal & River Trust, Environment Agency, Scottish Canals, Broads Authority and others) are routed around automatically, and when a dated closure blocks the natural line the result compares waiting for it to reopen against taking the detour. Give boat dimensions to get per-waterway fit warnings (too long, too wide, too deep, too tall for a waterway on the route). Routes that cross tidal water carry a tidal safety warning. Places can be names (resolved on the waterway network) or "lat,lon" coordinates. If a name matches several distinct locations the tool returns the candidates instead of guessing; call again with the chosen one.

Input parameters:

- `boat_air_draught` (number|string): Boat air draught (height above the waterline, for bridges and tunnels). Metres or feet/inches.
- `boat_beam` (number|string): Boat beam (width). Metres by default (e.g. 2.08), or feet/inches (e.g. "6'10\"").
- `boat_draught` (number|string): Boat draught (depth below the waterline). Metres or feet/inches.
- `boat_length` (number|string): Boat length. Metres by default (e.g. 17.4), or a feet/inches string (e.g. "57ft").
- `cruising_hours_per_day` (number): Cruising hours per day, used to split the journey into days with suggested overnight moorings. Default 6.
- `date` (string): Departure date (YYYY-MM-DD) for closure checking. Defaults to today.
- `from` (string, required): Start point: a place name on the waterways (e.g. "Braunston Marina") or "lat,lon" coordinates.
- `lock_minutes` (number): Minutes to work through one lock. Default 15. Experienced crews may use 10, single-handers 20 or more.
- `to` (string, required): Destination: a place name or "lat,lon" coordinates.

### `plan_round_trip` (~372 tokens)

Plan a round trip

Plan return-to-start cruises from a point on the inland waterways of Great Britain, sized to fit a number of days. Returns several options: circular loops where the canal network offers one (canal "rings"), plus out-and-back and fewest-locks alternatives, each with distance, lock count, day-by-day plan and suggested overnight moorings. Timing is lock-aware and closures from every GB navigation authority are flagged on each option. Give boat dimensions to get fit warnings, and routes touching tidal water carry a tidal safety warning. The start can be a place name or "lat,lon" coordinates.

Input parameters:

- `boat_air_draught` (number|string): Boat air draught (height above the waterline, for bridges and tunnels). Metres or feet/inches.
- `boat_beam` (number|string): Boat beam (width). Metres by default (e.g. 2.08), or feet/inches (e.g. "6'10\"").
- `boat_draught` (number|string): Boat draught (depth below the waterline). Metres or feet/inches.
- `boat_length` (number|string): Boat length. Metres by default (e.g. 17.4), or a feet/inches string (e.g. "57ft").
- `cruising_hours_per_day` (number): Cruising hours per day. Default 6.
- `date` (string): Start date (YYYY-MM-DD) for closure checking. Defaults to today.
- `days` (integer, required): Number of days the round trip should fit in.
- `lock_minutes` (number): Minutes to work through one lock. Default 15.
- `start` (string, required): Start (and finish) point: a place name on the waterways or "lat,lon" coordinates.

### `get_closures` (~214 tokens)

Get closures and stoppages

Live closure, stoppage and restriction notices for the inland waterways of Great Britain, covering every GB navigation authority: Canal & River Trust, Environment Agency, Scottish Canals, Broads Authority, Bridgewater, Middle Level, River Wey, Basingstoke and more, not just CRT. Search near a place (name or "lat,lon", with an optional radius) or by waterway name (e.g. "Oxford Canal"). Returns active and upcoming notices with dates, the responsible authority, whether each one blocks navigation, and links for detail. Data refreshes from the authorities' published notices, so reopen dates reflect the latest updates.

Input parameters:

- `place` (string): A place name or "lat,lon" coordinates to search around. Give this or waterway.
- `radius_km` (number): Search radius around the place in km. Default 25.
- `waterway` (string): A waterway name to match notices against (e.g. "Grand Union Canal"). Give this or place.

### `will_my_boat_fit` (~269 tokens)

Will my boat fit a waterway

Check boat dimensions against the published maximum craft dimensions for a named British waterway (length, beam, draught and air draught, from Canal & River Trust published figures covering the full CRT network). Returns a per-dimension verdict quoting the limit. Draught and headroom vary with water level and silting, so treat the answer as advisory. For a whole journey, use plan_route with boat dimensions instead: it checks every waterway along the route.

Input parameters:

- `boat_air_draught` (number|string): Boat air draught (height above the waterline, for bridges and tunnels). Metres or feet/inches.
- `boat_beam` (number|string): Boat beam (width). Metres by default (e.g. 2.08), or feet/inches (e.g. "6'10\"").
- `boat_draught` (number|string): Boat draught (depth below the waterline). Metres or feet/inches.
- `boat_length` (number|string): Boat length. Metres by default (e.g. 17.4), or a feet/inches string (e.g. "57ft").
- `waterway` (string, required): Waterway name, e.g. "Ashby Canal" or "Llangollen Canal".

### `find_place` (~111 tokens)

Find a place on the waterways

Look up a place name on the British inland waterway network and return matching locations with coordinates (marinas, moorings, water points and other waterside facilities). Use it to disambiguate a place before calling plan_route or plan_round_trip, or to get coordinates for a known spot. Results are waterway locations only; it is not a general geocoder.

Input parameters:

- `name` (string, required): Place or facility name to search for, e.g. "Braunston" or "Aston Marina".

### `search_directory` (~145 tokens)

Search the waterways business directory

Search Canal Nav's directory of waterside businesses on the British inland waterways: marinas, chandleries, boat hire, boatyards, pump-out and services, fuel, moorings, surveyors, brokerage, and canalside food and pubs. Filter by free text, category, or proximity to a place. Listings marked unclaimed can be claimed for free by the business owner at https://canalnav.com/.

Input parameters:

- `category` (string): Directory category to filter by.
- `near` (string): A place name or "lat,lon" to search around (approx. 15 km).
- `query` (string): Free-text search over business names and descriptions.

## Diagnostics

Captured diagnostic sections: TLS, DNSSEC, Authorisation, Transports. The full working is on the page: https://verifymcp.io/servers/com-canalnav-canal-nav/mcp#diagnostics

## Score history

- 2026-08-03: 62
- 2026-08-02: 62
- 2026-08-01: 61
- 2026-07-31: 60

## Links

- Remote endpoint: https://mcp.canalnav.com/mcp
- Website: https://canalnav.com/
- Changelog RSS feed: https://verifymcp.io/servers/com-canalnav-canal-nav/mcp/changelog.xml
- Changelog JSON feed: https://verifymcp.io/servers/com-canalnav-canal-nav/mcp/changelog.json
- HTML version of this page: https://verifymcp.io/servers/com-canalnav-canal-nav/mcp