# KnowKensington (remote · knowkensington.com)

Curated places in Kensington, London: restaurants, coffee, pubs, parks and shops.

- Trust score: 77/100 (medium)
- Change this week: +7
- Registry status: active
- Liveness: live
- Owner verified: no
- Last scored: 2026-11-05

## Components

- remote · `knowkensington.com`: 77/100 (this document), [markdown](https://verifymcp.io/servers/com-knowkensington-places/knowkensington.md), [page](https://verifymcp.io/servers/com-knowkensington-places/knowkensington)

## Channel facts

- Endpoint: `https://knowkensington.com/mcp`
- Transports: `streamable-http`
- Auth: `none`
- Version: `1.2.0`

## 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 2026-11-05.

- **Endpoint Security**: 80/100
  - The endpoint's TLS certificate is valid, in date, and uses a strong key.
  - No authorisation is required to call this server. Nothing on it is marked destructive, but we can't show that an anonymous caller can only read: full credit needs the server to list at least one tool and every tool to be verifiably read-only. We use a best-effort check of tool names and descriptions to tell read-only tools from tools that change things, so some genuinely read-only tools may not get full credit. Names that start with a read verb (get, list, read, search and similar) and accurate readOnlyHint annotations help. Meet that to earn full credit, or require authorisation.
  - HTTPS is enforced; there's no plaintext access path.
  - The HSTS (Strict-Transport-Security) header is present.
  - 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**: 73/100
  - AI-judged instruction clarity (good).
  - Tool/resource definitions use about 719 tokens (~102/item across 7 items; 7 tools + 0 resources), lean.
  - Usage-examples check failed: none of the tools include examples.
- **Stability & Change Management**: 43/100
  - Stability observed for 13 of 30 days with no destabilising changes; credit accrues until the full window elapses.
- **Tool Coverage**: 95/100
  - 100% of tools have a non-trivial description (not blank, and not just the tool's name).
  - 85% of tool parameters carry a description.
- **Tool Safety**: 100/100
  - No prompt-injection markers were found in the server instructions, tool names or descriptions we captured.
  - We read all 7 captured tool definition(s), and no name or description among them implies an irreversible operation.
  - An AI judge read all 8 captured unit(s) of tool text and found none that tries to manipulate the model reading it.
- **Capabilities**: 60/100
  - Spec-recency check failed: implements MCP spec 2025-06-18; the latest is 2026-07-28.

## Install

### How do I install the KnowKensington MCP server?

KnowKensington is a hosted endpoint at https://knowkensington.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-knowkensington-places 'https://knowkensington.com/mcp'
```

### Cursor

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "com-knowkensington-places": {
      "url": "https://knowkensington.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

### VS Code

```json
{
  "servers": {
    "com-knowkensington-places": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://knowkensington.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

### Codex

```toml
[mcp_servers.com-knowkensington-places]
url = "https://knowkensington.com/mcp"
```

### opencode

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

### OpenClaw

```bash
openclaw mcp add com-knowkensington-places --url 'https://knowkensington.com/mcp' --transport streamable-http
```

### Hermes

```yaml
mcp_servers:
  com-knowkensington-places:
    url: "https://knowkensington.com/mcp"
```

### Netclaw

```json
{
  "McpServers": {
    "com-knowkensington-places": {
      "Transport": "http",
      "Url": "https://knowkensington.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

### Vellum

```bash
assistant mcp add com-knowkensington-places -t streamable-http -u 'https://knowkensington.com/mcp'
```

### Other

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "com-knowkensington-places": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://knowkensington.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.

### 2026-11-05 (score 77, 0)

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

### 2026-11-04 (score 77, +1)

No change was recorded against any check on this day. Stability & Change Management went from 37 to 40. That category is still filling its 30-day observation window: 11 days of observed history at the previous scan, 12 at this one. The score rises as the window fills, whether or not the server changes.

### 2026-11-03 (score 76, +5)

- [security improvement] HTTPS: fail → pass
- [security] The server rewrote its instructions, which are the text every model session reads
- [security] Tool “get_guide” rewrote its description, which is the text the model reads
- [security] Tool “get_place” rewrote its description, which is the text the model reads
- [security] Tool “list_guides” rewrote its description, which is the text the model reads
- [security] Tool “list_places” rewrote its description, which is the text the model reads
- [security] Tool “search_places” rewrote its description, which is the text the model reads
- [functional] Server version: 1.1.0 → 1.2.0
- [cosmetic] “search_places” reworded the description of “query”

### 2026-11-01 (score 71, 0)

- [cosmetic] “compare_places” reworded the description of “slugs”
- [cosmetic] “get_place” reworded the description of “slug”

### 2026-10-31 (score 71, +1)

No change was recorded against any check on this day. Stability & Change Management went from 23 to 27. That category is still filling its 30-day observation window: 7 days of observed history at the previous scan, 8 at this one. The score rises as the window fills, whether or not the server changes.

### 2026-10-29 (score 70, +1)

No change was recorded against any check on this day. Stability & Change Management went from 17 to 20. That category is still filling its 30-day observation window: 5 days of observed history at the previous scan, 6 at this one. The score rises as the window fills, whether or not the server changes.

### 2026-10-27 (score 69, +1)

No change was recorded against any check on this day. Stability & Change Management went from 10 to 13. That category is still filling its 30-day observation window: 3 days of observed history at the previous scan, 4 at this one. The score rises as the window fills, whether or not the server changes.

### 2026-10-25 (score 68, +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.

## MCP tools (7)

### `list_places` (~120 tokens)

List Kensington places

Curated places in Kensington, optionally filtered by category, use-case tag or featured picks. Each result links to its https://knowkensington.com/place/{slug} page; ranked pages live at https://knowkensington.com/best/{category}.

Input parameters:

- `category` (string): Place category, for example coffee or restaurant
- `featured` (boolean): When true, only return featured picks
- `limit` (integer): Max places to return (default 25)
- `tag` (string): Use-case tag, for example brunch or with-kids

### `get_place` (~46 tokens)

Get a Kensington place

Full editorial record for one Kensington place by slug, including the guide's description and the public /place URL.

Input parameters:

- `slug` (string, required): URL slug, for example lytte-coffee

### `nearby_places` (~80 tokens)

Find nearby Kensington places

Nearest curated Kensington places to a WGS84 coordinate supplied in the request, with distance in metres.

Input parameters:

- `category` (string)
- `latitude` (number, required)
- `limit` (integer): Max places to return (default 10)
- `longitude` (number, required)
- `radius` (integer): Search radius in metres (default 500)

### `search_places` (~199 tokens)

Search Kensington places

Filter curated Kensington places by category, sub-zone, tags, featured picks or text, ranked like https://knowkensington.com/best/{category}. Every field carries its source; addresses, coordinates, hours, websites and photos are not included, so follow each place url for them. open_now only matches owner-supplied or official-site hours, and none are recorded yet.

Input parameters:

- `category` (string): Place category, for example coffee or restaurant
- `featured` (boolean): When true, only return featured picks
- `limit` (integer): Max places to return (default 25)
- `open_now` (boolean): When true, only places open now by owner-supplied or official-site hours
- `query` (string): Text matched against names and the guide's descriptions and tips
- `sub_zone` (string): Part of Kensington
- `tags` (array): Use-case tags; a place must carry every tag given

### `compare_places` (~59 tokens)

Compare Kensington places

Side-by-side sourced records for 2 to 4 Kensington places by slug, with the tags they share.

Input parameters:

- `slugs` (array, required): Distinct place slugs, for example ["lytte-coffee", "the-harwood-arms"]

### `list_guides` (~35 tokens)

List Kensington guides

Published Kensington themed guides (https://knowkensington.com/guides/{slug}), with sourced titles, summaries and place counts.

### `get_guide` (~59 tokens)

Get a Kensington guide

One published Kensington guide by slug: its introduction and its ranked places, every field sourced.

Input parameters:

- `limit` (integer): Max places to return (default 25)
- `slug` (string, required): Guide slug from list_guides, for example brunch

## Diagnostics

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

## Score history

- 2026-11-05: 77
- 2026-11-04: 77
- 2026-11-03: 76
- 2026-11-02: 71
- 2026-11-01: 71
- 2026-10-31: 71
- 2026-10-30: 70
- 2026-10-29: 70
- 2026-10-28: 69
- 2026-10-27: 69
- 2026-10-26: 68
- 2026-10-25: 68
- 2026-10-24: 67
- 2026-10-23: 67

## Common questions

### What is the KnowKensington MCP server?

KnowKensington is an MCP server listed in the public MCP registry as com.knowkensington/places. Curated places in Kensington, London: restaurants, coffee, pubs, parks and shops. This page covers its hosted endpoint (https://knowkensington.com/mcp).

### Is the KnowKensington MCP server safe to use?

KnowKensington scores 77 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 KnowKensington MCP server expose?

KnowKensington exposes 7 tools: list_places, get_place, nearby_places, search_places, compare_places, and 2 more. Their descriptions and schemas cost roughly 598 tokens of context every time the server is loaded.

### Does the KnowKensington MCP server require authentication?

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

### Is the KnowKensington MCP server still maintained?

KnowKensington is still listed as active in the MCP registry. We last reached this channel on 5 November 2026. Those dates come from our own scans of the registry and the channel itself, not from anything the publisher announced.

### What did VerifyMCP test on the KnowKensington MCP server?

VerifyMCP ran 13 checks on KnowKensington, covering TLS certificate, Authorization, HTTPS, HSTS header and 9 more. Supply Chain Security and Provenance & Transparency do not apply to a hosted endpoint, so they were not tested. The score does not measure everything, and the scoring documentation lists what it leaves out.

## Links

- Remote endpoint: https://knowkensington.com/mcp
- Website: https://knowkensington.com/connect
- Changelog RSS feed: https://verifymcp.io/servers/com-knowkensington-places/knowkensington.xml
- Changelog JSON feed: https://verifymcp.io/servers/com-knowkensington-places/knowkensington/changelog.json
- Trust report (JSON): https://verifymcp.io/servers/com-knowkensington-places/knowkensington.json
- HTML version of this page: https://verifymcp.io/servers/com-knowkensington-places/knowkensington