# The MCP Census (remote · api.mcpcensus.com)

Vet any MCP server before you depend on it. Stamp: PASS, REVIEW, or BLOCK.

- Trust score: 73/100 (medium)
- Change this week: +3
- Registry status: active
- Liveness: live
- Owner verified: no
- Last scored: 2026-09-27

## Components

- remote · `api.mcpcensus.com`: 73/100 (this document), [markdown](https://verifymcp.io/servers/com-mcpcensus-census/api.md), [page](https://verifymcp.io/servers/com-mcpcensus-census/api)

## Channel facts

- Endpoint: `https://api.mcpcensus.com/mcp`
- Transports: `streamable-http`
- Auth: `none`
- Version: `1.4.0`

## 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 2026-09-27.

- **Endpoint Security**: 46/100
  - 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 11 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 enforcement could not be verified: the plaintext port answered with HTTP 405, which proves neither a plaintext path nor enforcement.
  - 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**: 78/100
  - AI-judged instruction clarity (excellent).
  - Tool/resource definitions use about 1595 tokens (~106/item across 15 items; 15 tools + 0 resources), lean.
  - Usage-examples check failed: none of the tools include examples.
- **Stability & Change Management**: 93/100
  - Stability observed for 28 of 30 days with no destabilising changes; credit accrues until the full window elapses.
- **Tool Coverage**: 93/100
  - 100% of tools have a non-trivial description (not blank, and not just the tool's name).
  - 74% of tool parameters carry a description.
  - Structured output schemas are declared (13% 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 15 captured tool definition(s), and no name or description among them implies an irreversible operation.
  - An AI judge read all 16 captured unit(s) of tool text and found none that tries to manipulate the model reading it.
- **Capabilities**: 100/100
  - Implements a current MCP spec version (2026-07-28).

## Install

### How do I install the The MCP Census server?

The MCP Census is a hosted endpoint at https://api.mcpcensus.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-mcpcensus-census 'https://api.mcpcensus.com/mcp'
```

### Cursor

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "com-mcpcensus-census": {
      "url": "https://api.mcpcensus.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

### VS Code

```json
{
  "servers": {
    "com-mcpcensus-census": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://api.mcpcensus.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

### Codex

```toml
[mcp_servers.com-mcpcensus-census]
url = "https://api.mcpcensus.com/mcp"
```

### opencode

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

### OpenClaw

```bash
openclaw mcp add com-mcpcensus-census --url 'https://api.mcpcensus.com/mcp' --transport streamable-http
```

### Hermes

```yaml
mcp_servers:
  com-mcpcensus-census:
    url: "https://api.mcpcensus.com/mcp"
```

### Netclaw

```json
{
  "McpServers": {
    "com-mcpcensus-census": {
      "Transport": "http",
      "Url": "https://api.mcpcensus.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

### Vellum

```bash
assistant mcp add com-mcpcensus-census -t streamable-http -u 'https://api.mcpcensus.com/mcp'
```

### Other

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "com-mcpcensus-census": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://api.mcpcensus.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.

### 2026-09-27 (score 73, +1)

No change was recorded against any check on this day. Stability & Change Management went from 90 to 93. That category is still filling its 30-day observation window: 27 days of observed history at the previous scan, 28 at this one. The score rises as the window fills, whether or not the server changes.

### 2026-09-25 (score 72, 0)

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

### 2026-09-24 (score 72, +1)

No change was recorded against any check on this day. Stability & Change Management went from 80 to 83. That category is still filling its 30-day observation window: 24 days of observed history at the previous scan, 25 at this one. The score rises as the window fills, whether or not the server changes.

### 2026-09-22 (score 71, +1)

No change was recorded against any check on this day. Stability & Change Management went from 73 to 77. That category is still filling its 30-day observation window: 22 days of observed history at the previous scan, 23 at this one. The score rises as the window fills, whether or not the server changes.

### 2026-09-20 (score 70, +1)

- [security] Tool “census_search” rewrote its description, which is the text the model reads

### 2026-09-18 (score 69, +1)

No change was recorded against any check on this day. Stability & Change Management went from 60 to 63. That category is still filling its 30-day observation window: 18 days of observed history at the previous scan, 19 at this one. The score rises as the window fills, whether or not the server changes.

### 2026-09-16 (score 68, +1)

No change was recorded against any check on this day. Stability & Change Management went from 53 to 57. That category is still filling its 30-day observation window: 16 days of observed history at the previous scan, 17 at this one. The score rises as the window fills, whether or not the server changes.

### 2026-09-13 (score 67, +1)

No change was recorded against any check on this day. Stability & Change Management went from 43 to 47. That category is still filling its 30-day observation window: 13 days of observed history at the previous scan, 14 at this one. The score rises as the window fills, whether or not the server changes.

## MCP tools (15)

### `census_lookup` (~79 tokens)

Get the live health verdict for one MCP server by its exact registry name (e.g. 'io.github.owner/name'). Returns stars, last-push recency, gone/archived/deprecated flags, name-collision count, and a fact-based health verdict (healthy | issues | unknown).

Input parameters:

- `name` (string, required): Exact MCP registry server name

### `census_search` (~171 tokens)

Search MCP servers by keyword or partial name (e.g. 'github', 'postgres'). Returns ranked matches with health/trust. Also returns: resolved_query (auto typo fix), disambiguate (when unsure), known_brand (we recognize a strong product but it has no official MCP — e.g. CodeRabbit), research (watchlist/confirmed_absent), query_intent (brand_lookup|category|package|install_gate|junk — does not change ranking), intent_cta (preflight when they asked an install-gate question). Prefer official_match=true rows. Never invent servers.

Input parameters:

- `limit` (number): Max results 1–50 (default 20)
- `query` (string, required): Keyword or partial server name (>= 2 chars). Typos and space variants are resolved when confident.

### `census_stats` (~65 tokens)

Ecosystem headline numbers from the live census (same payload as GET /v1/stats). Unmetered. Returns total servers, healthy/issues counts, popular (gh_stars>=1000), remote-capable count, github-linked count, and captured_at. No invented metrics.

### `census_recent` (~78 tokens)

Newest MCP servers by real first_seen_at (same payload as GET /v1/recent). Unmetered. Only rows with a known first-seen date — never invents or guesses discovery times. Optional limit 1–50 (default 20).

Input parameters:

- `limit` (number): Max results 1–50 (default 20)

### `census_coverage` (~59 tokens)

Public transparency report (same payload as GET /v1/coverage). Unmetered. Live D1 census/identity/remote/protocol/adoption/pipeline counts plus method notes — never invents completeness percentages or a brand_audit punch list.

### `census_watch_subscribe` (~189 tokens)

Subscribe this agent (or a human email) to alerts for ONE specific MCP server. Fires only on real observed changes: remote_down, remote_up, health_change, verified_change, security. Requires x-api-key. Prefer webhook_url (https) so your agent can receive POST callbacks; email optional. Returns a watch id + HMAC secret (X-Census-Signature: sha256=…). Free tier: 5 watches; pro: 50.

Input parameters:

- `email` (string): Optional human email for the same alerts
- `events` (array): Subset of remote_down,remote_up,health_change,verified_change,security,tools_changed (default: all)
- `label` (string): Optional agent-chosen label
- `server_name` (string, required): Exact registry name to watch
- `webhook_url` (string): https URL that will receive signed POST event payloads

### `census_watch_list` (~24 tokens)

List active per-server watches for this API key. Requires x-api-key.

### `census_watch_unsubscribe` (~40 tokens)

Deactivate a watch by id. Requires x-api-key that owns the watch.

Input parameters:

- `id` (string, required): Watch id from census_watch_subscribe

### `census_preflight` (~91 tokens)

Evaluate one exact MCP server under a documented built-in install policy. Returns PASS, REVIEW, or BLOCK with evidence reasons, freshness, digests, and explicit limits. This is a first gate, not a security audit. refresh=if_stale requires x-api-key.

Input parameters:

- `policy_id` (string)
- `refresh` (string)
- `server_name` (string, required): Exact canonical Census server name

Output parameters:

- `audit_id` (string|null)
- `audit_signed`
- `decision` (string)
- `decision_input_digest` (string)
- `decision_scope`
- `engine_version` (string)
- `evaluated_at` (string)
- `facts` (object)
- `facts_digest` (string)
- `limitations` (array)
- `meaning` (string)
- `ok`
- `policy` (object)
- `reasons` (array)
- `server_name` (string)
- `valid_until` (string)

### `census_policy_list` (~35 tokens)

List the exact immutable Preflight v1 built-in policy objects, canonical ruleset, and policy digests. Unmetered.

Output parameters:

- `audit_signed`
- `ok`
- `policies` (array)
- `policy_digests` (object)
- `ruleset` (object)

### `census_credits` (~44 tokens)

Show remaining Census credits for this API key (wallet after the UTC-month grant). Unmetered. Without a key, returns anonymous unique-per-day remaining — not a wallet.

### `census_stamp` (~96 tokens)

Census stamp for one exact MCP server under a built-in policy. Same input as census_preflight. Returns the preflight body plus compact CENSUS-STAMP/1 text and stamp_json. Cost matches preflight. Never connect without a stamp. PASS is not a malware scan or permission review.

Input parameters:

- `policy_id` (string)
- `refresh` (string)
- `server_name` (string, required): Exact canonical Census server name

### `census_lookalikes` (~69 tokens)

Contested identity for one exact server_name: official_for, name_collision_count, and up to 10 other census server_name values sharing the same namespace brand or tail. Never invents lookalikes. Cost 1.

Input parameters:

- `server_name` (string, required): Exact canonical Census server name

### `census_audit_config` (~265 tokens)

Audit a whole MCP client config in one call (.mcp.json, claude_desktop_config.json, .cursor/mcp.json, .vscode/mcp.json, Codex config.toml text). Resolves every entry without guessing (url → remote_url, npx → npm package, uvx → PyPI package) and returns one PASS / REVIEW / BLOCK / UNKNOWN verdict per entry under a built-in policy, plus CENSUS-AUDIT/1 text, valid_until_epoch and exit_code (1 on any BLOCK). UNKNOWN is never upgraded to PASS. Cost 1 credit per config per UTC day; keyless callers get one config of ≤25 entries per IP per day. Not a malware scan; PASS is not a sandbox. Strip env/headers before sending.

Input parameters:

- `config` (required): The config document: an object with mcpServers | servers | mcp_servers, a list under entries[], or raw text (JSON or Codex config.toml)
- `format` (string)
- `policy_id` (string)
- `previous_tools_digests` (object): alias → tools_digest from your last audit; sets tools_drift per entry
- `strict` (boolean): exit_code 2 when any entry is REVIEW or UNKNOWN

### `census_changes` (~191 tokens)

The Census change feed (CENSUS-CHANGES/1): observed transitions across every server — server_new, remote_down, remote_up, tools_changed, health_change, verified_change, security, endpoint_moved, registry_status, spec_era_change. Cursor-paginated: pass next_cursor back as since. Filter by events, server_names or namespace_domain. Only real transitions, never 'still fine'. Unmetered in v1; poll hourly. Not a malware scan.

Input parameters:

- `events` (array): Event names to include (default all)
- `limit` (integer)
- `namespace_domain` (string): Registrable domain of a DNS-verified namespace, e.g. notion.com
- `server_names` (array): Exact canonical names to include (≤50)
- `since` (string): next_cursor from the previous page, or an RFC 3339 time for the first call

## Diagnostics

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

## Score history

- 2026-09-27: 73
- 2026-09-26: 72
- 2026-09-25: 72
- 2026-09-24: 72
- 2026-09-23: 71
- 2026-09-22: 71
- 2026-09-21: 70
- 2026-09-20: 70
- 2026-09-19: 69
- 2026-09-18: 69
- 2026-09-17: 68
- 2026-09-16: 68
- 2026-09-15: 67
- 2026-09-14: 67
- 2026-09-13: 67
- 2026-09-12: 66
- 2026-09-11: 66
- 2026-09-10: 65
- 2026-09-09: 65
- 2026-09-08: 64
- 2026-09-07: 64
- 2026-09-06: 63
- 2026-09-05: 63
- 2026-09-04: 62
- 2026-09-03: 62
- 2026-09-02: 61
- 2026-09-01: 61
- 2026-08-31: 60
- 2026-08-30: 60

## Common questions

### What is the The MCP Census server?

The MCP Census is listed in the public MCP registry as com.mcpcensus/census. Vet any MCP server before you depend on it. Stamp: PASS, REVIEW, or BLOCK. This page covers its hosted endpoint (https://api.mcpcensus.com/mcp).

### Is the The MCP Census server safe to use?

The MCP Census scores 73 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 The MCP Census server expose?

The MCP Census exposes 15 tools: census_lookup, census_search, census_stats, census_recent, census_coverage, and 10 more. Their descriptions and schemas cost roughly 1,496 tokens of context every time the server is loaded.

### Does the The MCP Census server require authentication?

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

### Is the The MCP Census server still maintained?

The MCP Census is still listed as active in the MCP registry. We last reached this channel on 27 September 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://api.mcpcensus.com/mcp
- Website: https://mcpcensus.com/
- Changelog RSS feed: https://verifymcp.io/servers/com-mcpcensus-census/api.xml
- Changelog JSON feed: https://verifymcp.io/servers/com-mcpcensus-census/api.json
- HTML version of this page: https://verifymcp.io/servers/com-mcpcensus-census/api