# SkimNews (remote · skimnews.com)

Free AI-curated news summaries from 100+ sources across seven beats, plus entity dossiers.

- Trust score: 90/100 (high trust)
- Change this week: +3
- Registry status: active
- Liveness: live
- Owner verified: no
- Last scored: 2026-11-05

## Components

- remote · `skimnews.com`: 90/100 (this document), [markdown](https://verifymcp.io/servers/com-skimnews-news/skimnews.md), [page](https://verifymcp.io/servers/com-skimnews-news/skimnews)

## Channel facts

- Endpoint: `https://skimnews.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 2026-11-05.

- **Endpoint Security**: 83/100
  - 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.
  - The HSTS (Strict-Transport-Security) header is present.
  - DNSSEC is configured correctly; the domain's records validate against the full chain to the root.
- **Transport & Reachability**: 100/100
  - Verified streamable-http transport via a live MCP handshake.
- **Schema Quality & AI Usability**: 84/100
  - 100% of prompts and resources have a non-trivial description (not blank, and not just the item's name).
  - AI-judged instruction clarity (excellent).
  - Context-footprint check failed: tool/resource definitions use about 685 tokens (~137/item across 5 items; 4 tools + 1 resources), over budget; trim descriptions and params.
  - Usage-examples check failed: none of the tools include examples.
- **Stability & Change Management**: 97/100
  - Stability observed for 29 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.
  - 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 4 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 current MCP spec version (2026-07-28).
  - Supports UI / widget rendering.

## Install

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

SkimNews is a hosted endpoint at https://skimnews.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-skimnews-news 'https://skimnews.com/mcp'
```

### Cursor

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "com-skimnews-news": {
      "url": "https://skimnews.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

### VS Code

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

### Codex

```toml
[mcp_servers.com-skimnews-news]
url = "https://skimnews.com/mcp"
```

### opencode

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

### OpenClaw

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

### Hermes

```yaml
mcp_servers:
  com-skimnews-news:
    url: "https://skimnews.com/mcp"
```

### Netclaw

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

### Vellum

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

### Other

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "com-skimnews-news": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://skimnews.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 90, +1)

No change was recorded against any check on this day. Stability & Change Management went from 93 to 97. That category is still filling its 30-day observation window: 28 days of observed history at the previous scan, 29 at this one. The score rises as the window fills, whether or not the server changes.

### 2026-11-02 (score 89, +1)

No change was recorded against any check on this day. Stability & Change Management went from 83 to 87. That category is still filling its 30-day observation window: 25 days of observed history at the previous scan, 26 at this one. The score rises as the window fills, whether or not the server changes.

### 2026-10-31 (score 88, +1)

No change was recorded against any check on this day. Stability & Change Management went from 77 to 80. That category is still filling its 30-day observation window: 23 days of observed history at the previous scan, 24 at this one. The score rises as the window fills, whether or not the server changes.

### 2026-10-29 (score 87, +1)

No change was recorded against any check on this day. Stability & Change Management went from 70 to 73. That category is still filling its 30-day observation window: 21 days of observed history at the previous scan, 22 at this one. The score rises as the window fills, whether or not the server changes.

### 2026-10-27 (score 86, +1)

No change was recorded against any check on this day. Stability & Change Management went from 63 to 67. That category is still filling its 30-day observation window: 19 days of observed history at the previous scan, 20 at this one. The score rises as the window fills, whether or not the server changes.

### 2026-10-25 (score 85, +1)

No change was recorded against any check on this day. Stability & Change Management went from 57 to 60. That category is still filling its 30-day observation window: 17 days of observed history at the previous scan, 18 at this one. The score rises as the window fills, whether or not the server changes.

### 2026-10-23 (score 84, +1)

No change was recorded against any check on this day. Stability & Change Management went from 50 to 53. That category is still filling its 30-day observation window: 15 days of observed history at the previous scan, 16 at this one. The score rises as the window fills, whether or not the server changes.

### 2026-10-21 (score 83, +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 (4)

### `get_top_stories` (~111 tokens)

Get today's top stories

Today's top SkimNews stories, optionally limited to one beat. Use this for "what's happening today" / "today's news" / "latest in <beat>" questions. Returns summaries plus canonical URLs per story. Categories: geopolitics, tech, finance, health, energy, sports, culture.

Input parameters:

- `category`: Optional beat: geopolitics | tech | finance | health | energy | sports | culture
- `limit` (integer): Stories per category, 1-20

Output parameters:

- `categories_included` (array)
- `count` (integer)
- `generated_at` (string)
- `stories` (array)

### `search_stories` (~162 tokens)

Search SkimNews stories

Semantically search SkimNews' archive of 47,000+ summarised stories by topic, theme, or news event, ranked by relevance. Use this to find coverage of a subject across SkimNews' history rather than only today. Returns summaries plus canonical URLs. An empty result list means SkimNews has not covered that topic — say so rather than substituting unrelated stories.

Input parameters:

- `category`: Optional beat filter: geopolitics | tech | finance | health | energy | sports | culture
- `days` (integer): Only consider stories from the last N days
- `limit` (integer): Maximum results, 1-25
- `query` (string, required): Topic, theme, or event, e.g. 'Federal Reserve rate decision'

Output parameters:

- `count` (integer)
- `days` (integer)
- `mode` (string): 'semantic+topical' normally; 'lexical' if degraded
- `query` (string)
- `results` (array)

### `get_story_detail` (~108 tokens)

Get a story's full detail

The full SkimNews treatment of one story: summary, why-it-matters, sourced bullet points, editorial take, named entities, the source taxonomy, and the canonical URL. Accepts an article id (e.g. '46b45d01'), a canonical skimnews.com URL, or an article slug. Use after get_top_stories or search_stories when a story needs detail or accurate citation.

Input parameters:

- `identifier` (string, required): Article id, canonical URL, or slug

Output parameters:

- `bullets` (array)
- `category`
- `editorial_take` (string)
- `entities` (array)
- `id` (string)
- `image` (string)
- `match`
- `primary_source` (string)
- `published`
- `similarity`
- `source` (string)
- `sources` (array)
- `summary` (string)
- `term_overlap`
- `title` (string)
- `url` (string): Canonical skimnews.com article URL — cite this
- `why_it_matters` (string)

### `get_entity_file` (~126 tokens)

Get an entity dossier

SkimNews keeps a permanent dossier on every person, organisation, product, law, or place it has covered repeatedly. Returns the current 3-sentence status, 60-day mention/source counts, recent coverage, and related entities. Use for "what has SkimNews covered about X" and "what's the latest on X" where X is a trackable entity. Slug form, e.g. 'trump', 'openai', 'iran'.

Input parameters:

- `slug` (string): Entity slug, e.g. 'trump', 'openai', 'iran'

Output parameters:

- `canonical_name`
- `current_status` (string)
- `current_status_updated_at`
- `last_mention_at`
- `mention_count_60d`
- `name` (string)
- `recent_coverage` (array)
- `related_entities` (array)
- `slug` (string)
- `source_count_60d`
- `type` (string)
- `url` (string): Canonical skimnews.com dossier URL

## Diagnostics

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

## Score history

- 2026-11-05: 90
- 2026-11-04: 89
- 2026-11-03: 89
- 2026-11-02: 89
- 2026-11-01: 88
- 2026-10-31: 88
- 2026-10-30: 87
- 2026-10-29: 87
- 2026-10-28: 86
- 2026-10-27: 86
- 2026-10-26: 85
- 2026-10-25: 85
- 2026-10-24: 84
- 2026-10-23: 84
- 2026-10-22: 83
- 2026-10-21: 83
- 2026-10-20: 82
- 2026-10-19: 82
- 2026-10-18: 82
- 2026-10-17: 81
- 2026-10-16: 81
- 2026-10-15: 80
- 2026-10-14: 80
- 2026-10-13: 79
- 2026-10-12: 79
- 2026-10-10: 78
- 2026-10-08: 77

## Common questions

### What is the SkimNews MCP server?

SkimNews is an MCP server listed in the public MCP registry as com.skimnews/news. Free AI-curated news summaries from 100+ sources across seven beats, plus entity dossiers. This page covers its hosted endpoint (https://skimnews.com/mcp).

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

SkimNews scores 90 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 SkimNews MCP server expose?

SkimNews exposes 4 tools: get_top_stories, search_stories, get_story_detail, get_entity_file. Their descriptions and schemas cost roughly 507 tokens of context every time the server is loaded.

### Does the SkimNews MCP server require authentication?

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

### Is the SkimNews MCP server still maintained?

SkimNews 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.

## Links

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