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io.github.cyanheads/musicbrainz-mcp-server

REMOTE · MUSICBRAINZ.CASEYJHAND.COM · 2 COMPONENTS · SCANNED SEP 20

Search MusicBrainz artists, releases, works, labels; resolve ISRC/ISWC/barcode; fetch cover art.

0 this week 81 Trust /100
Trust breakdown (7 categories)

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. How we score → Why this is hard to score →

Endpoint Security66
  • The endpoint's TLS certificate is valid, in date, and uses a strong key. View diagnostics → Pass
  • Authorisation not fully verified: no authorisation is required to call this server, and 10 tool(s) never declared a destructiveHint. The MCP spec treats an absent hint as destructive by default, so we cannot call this surface safe. See how to fix → View diagnostics → Unverified
  • HTTPS is enforced; there's no plaintext access path. View diagnostics → Pass
  • The HSTS (Strict-Transport-Security) header is present. View diagnostics → Pass
  • DNSSEC is configured correctly; the domain's records validate against the full chain to the root. View diagnostics → Pass
Transport & Reachability100
Schema Quality & AI Usability71
  • AI-judged instruction clarity (excellent).Pass
  • Context-footprint check failed: tool/resource definitions use about 1827 tokens (~182/item across 10 items; 10 tools + 0 resources), over budget; trim descriptions and params. See how to fix → Fail
  • Usage-examples check failed: none of the tools include examples. See how to fix → Fail
Stability & Change Management100
  • No destabilizing schema changes in the last 30 days.Pass
Tool Coverage100
  • 100% of tools have a non-trivial description (not blank, and not just the tool's name).Pass
  • 100% of tool parameters carry a description.Pass
  • Structured output schemas are declared (100% of tools); any adoption earns full credit.Pass
Tool Safety100
  • No prompt-injection markers were found in the server instructions, tool names or descriptions we captured.Pass
  • We read all 10 captured tool definition(s), and no name or description among them implies an irreversible operation.Pass
  • An AI judge read all 11 captured unit(s) of tool text and found none that tries to manipulate the model reading it.Pass
Capabilities100
  • Implements a current MCP spec version (2026-07-28).Pass
Install

How do I install the io.github.cyanheads/musicbrainz-mcp-server server?

io.github.cyanheads/musicbrainz-mcp-server is a hosted endpoint at https://musicbrainz.caseyjhand.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.

remote · musicbrainz.caseyjhand.com

# add to Claude Code
claude mcp add --transport http cyanheads-musicbrainz-mcp-server 'https://musicbrainz.caseyjhand.com/mcp'
// .cursor/mcp.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "cyanheads-musicbrainz-mcp-server": {
      "url": "https://musicbrainz.caseyjhand.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}
// .vscode/mcp.json
{
  "servers": {
    "cyanheads-musicbrainz-mcp-server": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://musicbrainz.caseyjhand.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}
# ~/.codex/config.toml
[mcp_servers.cyanheads-musicbrainz-mcp-server]
url = "https://musicbrainz.caseyjhand.com/mcp"
// opencode.json
{
  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
  "mcp": {
    "cyanheads-musicbrainz-mcp-server": {
      "type": "remote",
      "url": "https://musicbrainz.caseyjhand.com/mcp",
      "enabled": true
    }
  }
}
# add to OpenClaw
openclaw mcp add cyanheads-musicbrainz-mcp-server --url 'https://musicbrainz.caseyjhand.com/mcp' --transport streamable-http
# ~/.hermes/config.yaml
mcp_servers:
  cyanheads-musicbrainz-mcp-server:
    url: "https://musicbrainz.caseyjhand.com/mcp"
// ~/.netclaw/config/netclaw.json
{
  "McpServers": {
    "cyanheads-musicbrainz-mcp-server": {
      "Transport": "http",
      "Url": "https://musicbrainz.caseyjhand.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}
# add to Vellum
assistant mcp add cyanheads-musicbrainz-mcp-server -t streamable-http -u 'https://musicbrainz.caseyjhand.com/mcp'
// mcp.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "cyanheads-musicbrainz-mcp-server": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://musicbrainz.caseyjhand.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}

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

Changelog

Every change we have recorded for this component, newest first. Security-relevant changes are always shown. ▲ marks a change for the better, ▼ a change for the worse; unmarked changes are neutral.

  • 20 Sept 26 0
    • Server version: 0.1.6 → 0.1.7 functional
  • 9 Sept 26 0
    • Stability: 0.97 → pass security
  • 8 Sept 26 +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.

  • 7 Sept 26 −1
    • Stability: pass → 0.93 functional
  • 26 Aug 26 0
    • We updated how we score, so this day's move reflects our rubric, not a change to the server See what changed → functional
  • 25 Aug 26 +1
    • Stability: 0.97 → pass security
  • 23 Aug 26 +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.

  • 22 Aug 26 79
    • MCP protocol: Implements a current MCP spec version (2026-07-28). functional
    • MCP protocol version: 2025-11-25 → 2026-07-28 functional
    • Server version: 0.1.5 → 0.1.6 functional
Diagnostics

Diagnostic detail from the automated scan of this channel: what the scanner observed at each step, so you can see exactly where a check passed or failed. It is informational only and never changes the trust score.

Captured 20 Sept 2026 · Probed https://musicbrainz.caseyjhand.com/mcp

TLS valid

Negotiated TLS 1.3 with TLS_AES_128_GCM_SHA256 .

Subject Issuer Valid from Valid until Key Signature Serial
CN=caseyjhand.com CN=WE1,O=Google Trust Services,C=US 4 Sept 2026 3 Dec 2026 ECDSA 256 ECDSA-SHA256 a6985204ed51ae050e7738aa6be668e9
SANs: caseyjhand.com, *.caseyjhand.com
CN=WE1,O=Google Trust Services,C=US (CA) CN=GTS Root R4,O=Google Trust Services LLC,C=US 13 Dec 2023 20 Feb 2029 ECDSA 256 ECDSA-SHA384 7ff31977972c224a76155d13b6d685e3
CN=GTS Root R4,O=Google Trust Services LLC,C=US (CA) CN=GlobalSign Root CA,OU=Root CA,O=GlobalSign nv-sa,C=BE 15 Nov 2023 28 Jan 2028 ECDSA 384 SHA256-RSA 7fe530bf331343bedd821610493d8a1b

Background: What to check on a remote MCP endpoint →

DNSSEC secure

Validation of musicbrainz.caseyjhand.com. Secure

Zone DS Keys Algorithms Outcome
. trust_anchor 20326, 38696 8, 8 Verified
com. present 19718 13 Verified
caseyjhand.com. present 2371 13 Verified
musicbrainz.caseyjhand.com. Verified address RRset verified with the apex keys
Authentication No authorisation required

The endpoint answered without asking for a token. Anyone who knows the URL can reach it.

Result No authorisation required
HTTP status 200
Header Value
strict-transport-security max-age=63072000; includeSubDomains; preload
x-content-type-options nosniff

Background: How OAuth 2.1 works in the 2026 MCP spec →

Transports 2 probes
Transport URL Outcome Status Location
streamable-http https://musicbrainz.caseyjhand.com/mcp Verified 200
http (plaintext) http://musicbrainz.caseyjhand.com/mcp HTTPS enforced 301 https://musicbrainz.caseyjhand.com/mcp
MCP tools · 10 exposed · ~1,656 tokens

The tools this component advertises to a client, with an estimated token cost for each. Expand a tool to see its parameters and schema. The per-tool counts are indicative and are not scored directly; the schema's total context footprint is one signal in Schema Quality & AI Usability. A tool's description is untrusted text the model reads on every call, which is what makes this list a security surface and not just an inventory: how tool poisoning works →

Tool Tokens
musicbrainz_browse_entities ~210

Paginate the COMPLETE set of entities linked to a parent MBID — every release-group by an artist, every release on a label, every recording of a work, every release in a release-group. This is the only complete-enumeration path: the get_* tools embed at most one page (25) of any linked list, so use this tool whenever a linked set may exceed a page (a prolific artist, a major label with thousands of releases, a heavily-covered work). Provide exactly ONE link MBID matching a valid parent→child relationship for the target_type. Pages arbitrarily deep via offset; totalCount is the true upstream total.

NameTypeReqDescription
limitintegerPage size (1–100).
linkobjectyesExactly one parent MBID. The valid key depends on target_type (see the description).
offsetintegerResult offset for deep pagination (0-based).
target_typestringyesThe entity type to enumerate (the children).
NameTypeReqDescription
capnumberThe page size that was applied. Absent when not truncated.
entitiesarrayThis page of linked entities, in upstream order.
errorobjectPresent when the call failed. Absent on success.
linkMbidstringThe parent MBID that was browsed.
linkTypestringThe parent link type used (artist, label, release-group, recording, work, or area).
noticestringHow to page further when results remain, or guidance when empty.
offsetnumberThe offset used for this page.
shownnumberNumber of entities returned in this page. Absent when not truncated.
targetTypestringThe entity type that was enumerated.
totalCountnumberTrue total number of linked entities upstream (the {type}-count field).
truncatedbooleanTrue when more entities remain beyond this page (offset + shown < totalCount). Absent when the page is complete.

No examples provided.

musicbrainz_get_artist ~197

Artist profile by MBID: type (person/group/…), country, life span, gender, area, aliases, tags/genres, plus the discography (release-groups) and band-membership / collaboration relationships and external links (Wikidata QID, Discogs, official site — surfaced as url-rels chainable to those servers). The 80% artist-detail call. Discography and relationships are capped at one page (25); for a prolific artist's complete release-group list, call musicbrainz_browse_entities with target_type=release-group and the artist link.

NameTypeReqDescription
inc_relationshipsbooleanInclude band-membership / collaboration relationships and external links (url-rels).
inc_release_groupsbooleanInclude the discography (release-groups). Capped at one page; use browse for the full set.
mbidstringyesArtist MBID (36-character UUID).
NameTypeReqDescription
aliasesarrayAlternate names (may be empty).
areastringAssociated area name. Omitted when unknown.
capnumberThe one-page cap that was applied. Absent when not truncated.
countrystringISO country code. Omitted when unknown.
disambiguationstringShort qualifier distinguishing same-named artists. Omitted when absent.
errorobjectPresent when the call failed. Absent on success.
externalLinksarrayExternal resource links (url-rels) — Wikidata, Discogs, official site (may be empty).
genderstringGender, for person-type artists. Omitted when unknown/inapplicable.
lifeSpanobjectBirth/death or formation/dissolution span. Omitted when unknown.
mbidstringArtist MBID.
namestringArtist name.
noticestringHow to fetch the complete discography when truncated.
relationshipsarrayBand membership and collaboration relationships (may be empty).
releaseGroupsarrayDiscography — release-groups (one page; may be empty or capped).
shownnumberNumber of release-groups returned. Absent when not truncated.
sortNamestringSortable name form. Omitted when absent.
tagsarrayCommunity tags/genres with vote counts (may be empty).
truncatedbooleanTrue when the discography hit the one-page cap and more release-groups exist. Absent when the full set fit in one page.
typestringArtist type (Person, Group, Orchestra, …). Omitted when unknown.

No examples provided.

musicbrainz_get_cover_art ~160

Cover Art Archive images for a release or release-group MBID: front/back flags, image types, full-resolution URLs, and 250/500/1200px thumbnail URLs. Returns an empty image set (NOT an error) when the entity has no art — absence of art is information. Art is served at the release level; a release-group MBID resolves to a representative release's art automatically. URLs are linked, never rehosted — image copyright stays with the rights holders (only MusicBrainz core metadata is CC0).

NameTypeReqDescription
entity_typestringWhether the MBID is a release (default) or a release-group.
mbidstringyesRelease or release-group MBID (36-character UUID).
NameTypeReqDescription
entityTypestringWhether the MBID was treated as a release or release-group.
errorobjectPresent when the call failed. Absent on success.
hasArtbooleanWhether any cover art exists for this entity.
imagesarrayCover-art images (empty when the entity has no art).
mbidstringThe MBID that was queried.
noticestringNotice when no art exists for the entity.
representativeReleasestringFor a release-group query, the release MBID whose art was returned. Omitted for direct release queries.

No examples provided.

musicbrainz_get_label ~124

Label by MBID: type (Original Production, Reissue, Imprint, …), country, life span, label code (the LC number), area, aliases, tags, and external links (url-rels — Wikidata, Discogs, official site). A label's releases are a potentially huge linked set (a major label can have tens of thousands), so they are NOT embedded here — enumerate them with musicbrainz_browse_entities (target_type=release, link.label).

NameTypeReqDescription
mbidstringyesLabel MBID (36-character UUID).
NameTypeReqDescription
aliasesarrayAlternate names (may be empty).
areastringAssociated area name. Omitted when unknown.
countrystringISO country code. Omitted when unknown.
disambiguationstringShort qualifier. Omitted when absent.
errorobjectPresent when the call failed. Absent on success.
externalLinksarrayExternal resource links (url-rels) (may be empty).
labelCodenumberLabel code (LC number), without the "LC" prefix. Omitted when absent.
lifeSpanobjectFounding/dissolution span. Omitted when unknown.
mbidstringLabel MBID.
namestringLabel name.
sortNamestringSortable name form. Omitted when absent.
tagsarrayCommunity tags/genres (may be empty).
typestringLabel type. Omitted when unknown.

No examples provided.

musicbrainz_get_recording ~160

Recording (a specific performance/track, distinct from the abstract work) by MBID: length, artist credits, ISRCs, the releases it appears on, the work(s) it performs (work-rels — chain to musicbrainz_get_work), and performance/production relationships (who played, produced, engineered, conducted — each with the role and the credited artist MBID). Relationships are capped at one page; for a heavily-covered recording call musicbrainz_browse_entities with target_type=recording and link.work.

NameTypeReqDescription
inc_relationshipsbooleanInclude performance/production relationships (performers, producers, engineers) and work-rels.
mbidstringyesRecording MBID (36-character UUID).
NameTypeReqDescription
artistCreditarrayCredited artists (may be empty).
artistCreditStringstringDisplay string of the artist credit with join phrases.
disambiguationstringShort qualifier. Omitted when absent.
errorobjectPresent when the call failed. Absent on success.
externalLinksarrayExternal resource links (url-rels) (may be empty).
firstReleaseDatestringEarliest release date for this recording. Omitted when absent.
isrcsarrayISRCs assigned to this recording (may be empty).
lengthstringRecording length as m:ss. Omitted when unknown.
mbidstringRecording MBID.
relationshipsarrayPerformance/production relationships and work-rels (may be empty).
releasesarrayReleases this recording appears on (may be empty).
titlestringRecording title.

No examples provided.

musicbrainz_get_release ~112

One edition's full detail by MBID: the tracklist (media → tracks → recordings with lengths and recording MBIDs), label + catalog number, barcode, country, release date, format, packaging, text representation (language/script), and a cover-art availability stub. Track lengths are rendered m:ss (stored as milliseconds upstream). For the actual cover image URLs, call musicbrainz_get_cover_art with this release MBID.

NameTypeReqDescription
mbidstringyesRelease MBID (36-character UUID).
NameTypeReqDescription
artistCreditarrayCredited artists (may be empty).
artistCreditStringstringDisplay string of the artist credit with join phrases.
barcodestringBarcode (UPC/EAN). Omitted when absent; empty string upstream means "known to have none".
countrystringRelease country code. Omitted when absent.
coverArtobjectWhether cover art exists (availability stub from WS/2).
datestringRelease date. Omitted when absent.
disambiguationstringShort qualifier. Omitted when absent.
errorobjectPresent when the call failed. Absent on success.
labelInfoarrayLabel / catalog-number pairings (may be empty).
languagestringText-representation language code. Omitted when absent.
mbidstringRelease MBID.
mediaarrayMedia (discs) with their tracklists (may be empty).
packagingstringPackaging type (Jewel Case, Digipak, …). Omitted when absent.
releaseGroupIdstringParent release-group MBID — chain to musicbrainz_get_release_group. Omitted when absent.
scriptstringText-representation script code. Omitted when absent.
statusstringRelease status (Official, Promotion, Bootleg, …). Omitted when absent.
titlestringRelease title.

No examples provided.

musicbrainz_get_release_group ~165

Release-group ("the album" above specific pressings) by MBID: primary type (Album/Single/EP) and secondary types (Live/Compilation), first-release date, artist credit, the list of releases (editions), tags/genres, and a cover-art availability flag from the WS/2 payload (use musicbrainz_get_cover_art for actual image URLs). The embedded releases list is capped at one page (25); for the complete set of editions, call musicbrainz_browse_entities with target_type=release and link.release-group. For a specific edition's tracklist, take a release MBID from the releases list and call musicbrainz_get_release.

NameTypeReqDescription
mbidstringyesRelease-group MBID (36-character UUID).
NameTypeReqDescription
artistCreditarrayCredited artists (may be empty).
artistCreditStringstringDisplay string of the artist credit with join phrases.
capnumberThe one-page cap that was applied. Absent when not truncated.
coverArtobjectWhether cover art exists (availability stub from WS/2).
disambiguationstringShort qualifier. Omitted when absent.
errorobjectPresent when the call failed. Absent on success.
firstReleaseDatestringEarliest release date across all editions. Omitted when absent.
mbidstringRelease-group MBID.
noticestringHow to fetch the complete list of editions when truncated.
primaryTypestringPrimary type (Album, Single, EP, Broadcast, Other). Omitted when absent.
releasesarrayReleases (editions) in this group (one page; may be empty or capped — use browse for all).
secondaryTypesarraySecondary types (Live, Compilation, Soundtrack, …). Omitted when none.
shownnumberNumber of releases returned. Absent when not truncated.
tagsarrayCommunity tags/genres (may be empty).
titlestringRelease-group title.
truncatedbooleanTrue when the releases list hit the one-page cap and more editions exist. Absent when the full set fit in one page.

No examples provided.

musicbrainz_get_work ~125

Work (a composition — the song as written, distinct from any specific recording) by MBID: type, language(s), ISWCs (the work-level standard identifier), writer/composer/lyricist relationships (with the credited artist MBID), aliases, tags, and the recordings that perform it. The recording relationships are returned in full (the work lookup does not page them).

NameTypeReqDescription
inc_relationshipsbooleanInclude writer/composer relationships, recording relationships, and external links.
mbidstringyesWork MBID (36-character UUID).
NameTypeReqDescription
aliasesarrayAlternate titles (may be empty).
disambiguationstringShort qualifier. Omitted when absent.
errorobjectPresent when the call failed. Absent on success.
externalLinksarrayExternal resource links (url-rels) (may be empty).
iswcsarrayISWCs assigned to this work (may be empty).
languagesarrayLyrics languages (ISO codes; may be empty).
mbidstringWork MBID.
relationshipsarrayWriter/composer/lyricist relationships and recording-rels — the complete set (may be empty).
tagsarrayCommunity tags/genres (may be empty).
titlestringWork title.
typestringWork type (Song, Symphony, …). Omitted when unknown.

No examples provided.

musicbrainz_lookup_identifier ~191

Resolve a standard identifier to MusicBrainz entities without a name search — the deterministic path when you already hold an ID. id_type=isrc → recordings (a recording-level code, often shared by several recordings); id_type=iswc → works (a composition-level code); id_type=barcode → releases (UPC/EAN). ISRC and ISWC hit dedicated exact endpoints; barcode is a Lucene search filter so results are ranked (exact match scores 100). The output kind field tells you which entity type came back.

NameTypeReqDescription
id_typestringyesWhich standard identifier: isrc (recording), iswc (work), or barcode (release).
valuestringyesThe identifier value. ISRC e.g. "USRC17607839"; ISWC e.g. "T-010.140.236-1"; barcode e.g. "075678164125".
NameTypeReqDescription
errorobjectPresent when the call failed. Absent on success.
resultThe resolved entities, discriminated by `kind` (recordings | works | releases).

No examples provided.

musicbrainz_search_entities ~212

Full-text search across a MusicBrainz entity type (artist, release-group, release, recording, work, label) using a Lucene query string. Returns ranked matches with MBID, name/title, disambiguation, type, and a 0–100 relevance score (100 = exact). Starting point when resolving a name to an MBID — chain the returned MBID into the matching musicbrainz_get_* tool. Results are in MusicBrainz score-descending order. Supports field-scoped Lucene syntax (e.g. `artist:radiohead AND country:GB`).

NameTypeReqDescription
entityTypestringyesWhich entity type to search.
limitintegerMaximum results to return (1–100).
offsetintegerResult offset for pagination (0-based).
querystringyesLucene query string. Plain text matches names/titles; field scoping (e.g. `artist:`, `country:`, `tag:`) is supported.
NameTypeReqDescription
effectiveQuerystringThe query string as sent to MusicBrainz.
entityTypestringThe entity type that was searched.
errorobjectPresent when the call failed. Absent on success.
noticestringGuidance when zero results matched — how to broaden or correct the query.
resultsarrayRanked matches, in MusicBrainz score-descending order.
totalCountnumberTotal matches upstream before the limit/offset window.

No examples provided.

Common questions

What is the io.github.cyanheads/musicbrainz-mcp-server server?

io.github.cyanheads/musicbrainz-mcp-server is listed in the public MCP registry as io.github.cyanheads/musicbrainz-mcp-server. Search MusicBrainz artists, releases, works, labels; resolve ISRC/ISWC/barcode; fetch cover art. This page covers its hosted endpoint (https://musicbrainz.caseyjhand.com/mcp).

Is the io.github.cyanheads/musicbrainz-mcp-server server safe to use?

io.github.cyanheads/musicbrainz-mcp-server scores 81 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 io.github.cyanheads/musicbrainz-mcp-server server expose?

io.github.cyanheads/musicbrainz-mcp-server exposes 10 tools: musicbrainz_search_entities, musicbrainz_get_artist, musicbrainz_get_release_group, musicbrainz_get_release, musicbrainz_get_recording, and 5 more. Their descriptions and schemas cost roughly 1,656 tokens of context every time the server is loaded.

Does the io.github.cyanheads/musicbrainz-mcp-server server require authentication?

No. We connected to io.github.cyanheads/musicbrainz-mcp-server without credentials and it answered, so anything it exposes is reachable by anyone who knows the address.

Is the io.github.cyanheads/musicbrainz-mcp-server server still maintained?

io.github.cyanheads/musicbrainz-mcp-server is still listed as active in the MCP registry. We last reached this channel on 20 September 2026. Those dates come from our own scans of the registry and the channel itself, not from anything the publisher announced.