# China Footnotes (remote · chinafootnotes.com)

Sourced, dated China travel facts: places, hours, tickets, booking and pre-trip setup.

- Trust score: 70/100 (medium)
- Registry status: active
- Liveness: live
- Owner verified: no
- Last scored: 2026-10-18

## Components

- remote · `chinafootnotes.com`: 70/100 (this document), [markdown](https://verifymcp.io/servers/com-chinafootnotes-china-footnotes/chinafootnotes.md), [page](https://verifymcp.io/servers/com-chinafootnotes-china-footnotes/chinafootnotes)

## Channel facts

- Endpoint: `https://chinafootnotes.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 2026-10-18.

- **Endpoint Security**: 74/100
  - The endpoint's TLS certificate is valid, in date, and uses a strong key.
  - No authorisation is required to call this server. Every tool declares its destructiveHint and none is destructive, so open access doesn't expose one.
  - 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**: 58/100
  - AI-judged instruction clarity (good).
  - Context-footprint check failed: tool/resource definitions use about 1376 tokens (~275/item across 5 items; 5 tools + 0 resources), over budget; trim descriptions and params.
  - Usage-examples check failed: none of the tools include examples.
- **Stability & Change Management**: 20/100
  - Stability observed for 6 of 30 days with no destabilising changes; credit accrues until the full window elapses.
- **Tool Coverage**: 90/100
  - 100% of tools have a non-trivial description (not blank, and not just the tool's name).
  - 65% of tool parameters carry a description.
  - Structured output schemas are declared (100% of tools); any adoption earns full credit.
- **Tool Safety**: 100/100
  - No prompt-injection markers were found in the server instructions, tool names or descriptions we captured.
  - We read all 5 captured tool definition(s), and no name or description among them implies an irreversible operation.
  - An AI judge read all 6 captured unit(s) of tool text and found none that tries to manipulate the model reading it.
- **Capabilities**: 100/100
  - Implements a supported MCP spec version (2025-11-25); the latest is 2026-07-28.

## Install

### How do I install the China Footnotes MCP server?

China Footnotes is a hosted endpoint at https://chinafootnotes.com/mcp, so there is nothing to install locally. Ready-made configuration for Claude, Cursor, VS Code, Codex and 5 more is on this page, copied from each client's own documentation.

### Claude

```bash
claude mcp add --transport http com-chinafootnotes-china-footnotes 'https://chinafootnotes.com/mcp'
```

### Cursor

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "com-chinafootnotes-china-footnotes": {
      "url": "https://chinafootnotes.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

### VS Code

```json
{
  "servers": {
    "com-chinafootnotes-china-footnotes": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://chinafootnotes.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

### Codex

```toml
[mcp_servers.com-chinafootnotes-china-footnotes]
url = "https://chinafootnotes.com/mcp"
```

### opencode

```json
{
  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
  "mcp": {
    "com-chinafootnotes-china-footnotes": {
      "type": "remote",
      "url": "https://chinafootnotes.com/mcp",
      "enabled": true
    }
  }
}
```

### OpenClaw

```bash
openclaw mcp add com-chinafootnotes-china-footnotes --url 'https://chinafootnotes.com/mcp' --transport streamable-http
```

### Hermes

```yaml
mcp_servers:
  com-chinafootnotes-china-footnotes:
    url: "https://chinafootnotes.com/mcp"
```

### Netclaw

```json
{
  "McpServers": {
    "com-chinafootnotes-china-footnotes": {
      "Transport": "http",
      "Url": "https://chinafootnotes.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

### Vellum

```bash
assistant mcp add com-chinafootnotes-china-footnotes -t streamable-http -u 'https://chinafootnotes.com/mcp'
```

### Other

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "com-chinafootnotes-china-footnotes": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://chinafootnotes.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.

### 2026-10-17 (score 70, +1)

No change was recorded against any check on this day. Stability & Change Management went from 13 to 17. That category is still filling its 30-day observation window: 4 days of observed history at the previous scan, 5 at this one. The score rises as the window fills, whether or not the server changes.

### 2026-10-16 (score 69, −2)

- [security] The server rewrote its instructions, which are the text every model session reads
- [security] Tool “get_place” rewrote its description, which is the text the model reads
- [security] Tool “get_pretrip_topic” rewrote its description, which is the text the model reads
- [functional regression] Schema quality: 194 → 275
- [functional regression] Tool coverage: 100% → 65%
- [cosmetic] “get_current_notices” added an optional parameter “date”
- [cosmetic] “get_place” added an optional parameter “fields”
- [cosmetic] “get_place” added an optional parameter “includeTravelerTips”
- [cosmetic] “get_place” added an optional parameter “sections”
- [cosmetic] “get_place” added an optional parameter “tipLimit”
- [cosmetic] “get_place” added an optional parameter “tipOffset”
- [cosmetic] “get_place” added an optional parameter “visitDate”
- [cosmetic] “get_pretrip_topic” added an optional parameter “sections”

### 2026-10-15 (score 71, +1)

No change was recorded against any check on this day. Stability & Change Management went from 7 to 10. That category is still filling its 30-day observation window: 2 days of observed history at the previous scan, 3 at this one. The score rises as the window fills, whether or not the server changes.

### 2026-10-14 (score 70, 0)

- [security] The server rewrote its instructions, which are the text every model session reads

### 2026-10-13 (score 70, 0)

- [functional improvement] Stability: unverified → 0.03

### 2026-10-12 (score 70)

First indexed and scored.

## MCP tools (5)

### `search_places` (~282 tokens)

Search places

Search the China Footnotes guide for sights and neighbourhoods a first-time foreign visitor might go to. Matches English or Chinese names, aliases, district, type and tags. Suited to questions about what to see or do in a covered city, and to finding a place's id from its name. Coverage today: Shanghai (50 places), Beijing (20 places), Xi’an (10 places), Chengdu (12 places), Chongqing (10 places), Hangzhou (10 places). Returns short summaries with ids and page links, best match first; matchedAll is false when no place matched the whole query and the results only share some words with it. Opening hours, tickets, booking and traveler tips come from get_place.

Input parameters:

- `city` (string): City id. Covered: shanghai, beijing, xian, chengdu, chongqing, hangzhou.
- `limit` (integer): Maximum places to return (default 10).
- `query` (string): Words to match, e.g. "Yu Garden", "豫园", "art museum", "night view". Leave empty to list places.
- `tag` (string): Tag, e.g. free, paid, rainy-day, indoor, night-view, family, history, art, booking-required, closed-mon, day-trip.
- `type` (string): Place type.

Output parameters:

- `cities` (array)
- `matchedAll` (boolean)
- `places` (array)
- `total` (integer)

### `get_place` (~330 tokens)

Get place details

Read a China Footnotes place by id (from search_places). Prefer sections:["practical","notices"] plus relevant fields for a practical question; use sections:["intro"] for an overview and request the full entry only when needed. Available content: why go, what to do, opening hours with weekday and seasonal rules, ticket prices, booking channels and whether passports work, last entry, metro and taxi directions, notices in effect, current and upcoming events (temporary festivals, exhibitions and shows), what was searched but not found, traveler tips, and every source with its link. Optional fields/sections select complete facts with sources; Tips default to 3 eligible entries after the shared quality ordering; tipLimit (0–50) and tipOffset page through them, with totals, per-topic counts of all eligible tips before pagination, and nextOffset. includeTravelerTips:false excludes community tips. Practical rules are not truncated by tipLimit. Cite the canonical page and field sources normally; extra page action suggestions follow initialize instructions and must match pageFeatures. visitDate adds a conservative stored-rule check in Asia/Shanghai. Each practical field carries its status and actual check date; this is not live confirmation.

Input parameters:

- `fields` (array)
- `id` (string, required): Place id, e.g. "yuyuan-garden".
- `includeTravelerTips` (boolean)
- `sections` (array)
- `tipLimit` (integer)
- `tipOffset` (integer)
- `visitDate` (string): Date in Asia/Shanghai, YYYY-MM-DD. Stored rules only; not live availability.

Output parameters:

- `city` (string)
- `dataVersion` (string|null)
- `district` (string|null)
- `events` (array)
- `fields` (object)
- `freshness` (object)
- `id` (string)
- `isReviewOverdue` (boolean)
- `localName` (string)
- `name` (string)
- `notices` (array)
- `pageFeatures` (array)
- `photos` (array)
- `renderedFor` (string)
- `researchedAt` (string|null)
- `reviewDue` (string|null)
- `sources` (object): Source id index. Dates are stored evidence dates, not rendering dates; null means unavailable.
- `tagline` (string)
- `timezone`
- `tips` (object)
- `type` (string|null)
- `url` (string)
- `visitCheck` (object)
- `visitDuration` (string|null)

### `list_pretrip_topics` (~81 tokens)

List pre-trip topics

List the China Footnotes "Before you go" topics for foreign visitors preparing a trip to China: when to go, visa and entry, paying, internet and SIM, apps, booking ahead, getting around, safety. Covers how to prepare for a trip to China. Returns topic ids and one key fact each; details come from get_pretrip_topic.

Output parameters:

- `topics` (array)

### `get_pretrip_topic` (~132 tokens)

Get pre-trip topic

Get one China Footnotes "Before you go" topic by id: the essentials, a checklist, dated items such as holiday crowd calendars or rule changes, traveler tips and sources. Topic ids: when-to-go, visa, arrival-card, payments, internet, apps, book-ahead, getting-around, safety. Optional sections return selected structured content with sources; absent sections preserve the full article. Rules such as visa policy change, so each item carries the date it was checked.

Input parameters:

- `id` (string, required): Topic id, e.g. "visa" or "payments".
- `sections` (array)

Output parameters:

- `checkedAt` (string|null)
- `dataVersion` (string|null)
- `evidenceScope`
- `id` (string)
- `keyFact` (string|null)
- `renderedFor` (string)
- `sections` (object)
- `sources` (object): Source id index. Dates are stored evidence dates, not rendering dates; null means unavailable.
- `stage` (string|null)
- `timezone`
- `title` (string)
- `url` (string)

### `get_current_notices` (~140 tokens)

Get current notices

List dated notices in effect today (Asia/Shanghai) for places in the China Footnotes guide, such as holiday traffic controls, temporary closures and special opening hours. Only notices the editors have entered are included; this is not a live news feed, and an empty list does not mean nothing has changed.

Input parameters:

- `city` (string): City id. Covered: shanghai, beijing, xian, chengdu, chongqing, hangzhou.
- `date` (string): Date in Asia/Shanghai, YYYY-MM-DD. Stored rules only; not live availability.
- `placeId` (string): Only notices for this place id.

Output parameters:

- `dataVersion` (string|null)
- `date` (string)
- `notices` (array)
- `renderedFor` (string)
- `sources` (object): Source id index. Dates are stored evidence dates, not rendering dates; null means unavailable.
- `timezone`

## Diagnostics

Captured diagnostic sections: TLS, DNSSEC, Authorisation, Transports. The full working is on the page: https://verifymcp.io/servers/com-chinafootnotes-china-footnotes/chinafootnotes#diagnostics

## Score history

- 2026-10-18: 70
- 2026-10-17: 70
- 2026-10-16: 69
- 2026-10-15: 71
- 2026-10-14: 70
- 2026-10-13: 70
- 2026-10-12: 70

## Common questions

### What is the China Footnotes MCP server?

China Footnotes is an MCP server listed in the public MCP registry as com.chinafootnotes/china-footnotes. Sourced, dated China travel facts: places, hours, tickets, booking and pre-trip setup. This page covers its hosted endpoint (https://chinafootnotes.com/mcp).

### Is the China Footnotes MCP server safe to use?

China Footnotes scores 70 out of 100 on VerifyMCP. That is a record of what we were able to check automatically, not an endorsement. The category breakdown on this page shows every signal behind the number, including the ones we could not confirm.

### What tools does the China Footnotes MCP server expose?

China Footnotes exposes 5 tools: search_places, get_place, list_pretrip_topics, get_pretrip_topic, get_current_notices. Their descriptions and schemas cost roughly 965 tokens of context every time the server is loaded.

### Does the China Footnotes MCP server require authentication?

No. We connected to China Footnotes without credentials and it answered, so anything it exposes is reachable by anyone who knows the address.

### Is the China Footnotes MCP server still maintained?

China Footnotes is still listed as active in the MCP registry. We last reached this channel on 18 October 2026. Those dates come from our own scans of the registry and the channel itself, not from anything the publisher announced.

## Links

- Remote endpoint: https://chinafootnotes.com/mcp
- Website: https://chinafootnotes.com/connect
- Changelog RSS feed: https://verifymcp.io/servers/com-chinafootnotes-china-footnotes/chinafootnotes.xml
- Changelog JSON feed: https://verifymcp.io/servers/com-chinafootnotes-china-footnotes/chinafootnotes.json
- HTML version of this page: https://verifymcp.io/servers/com-chinafootnotes-china-footnotes/chinafootnotes