# deSEC MCP by usefulapi (remote · desec.usefulapi.io)

Read deSEC domains, DNSSEC keys, zone files and RRsets; create or replace one DNS record set.

- Trust score: 64/100 (medium)
- Registry status: active
- Liveness: live
- Owner verified: no
- Last scored: 2026-10-17

## Components

- remote · `desec.usefulapi.io`: 64/100 (this document), [markdown](https://verifymcp.io/servers/io-usefulapi-desec/desec.md), [page](https://verifymcp.io/servers/io-usefulapi-desec/desec)

## Channel facts

- Endpoint: `https://desec.usefulapi.io/mcp`
- Transports: `streamable-http`
- Auth: `required`
- 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 2026-10-17.

- **Endpoint Security**: 78/100
  - The endpoint's TLS certificate is valid, in date, and uses a strong key.
  - Authorisation is enforced on tool calls, advertised via RFC 9728 protected-resource metadata. Discovery is public, which costs nothing: no tool can be invoked without a token.
  - HTTPS enforcement could not be verified: the plaintext port redirected somewhere other than https, so enforcement is unproven.
  - HSTS check failed: the Strict-Transport-Security header is absent.
  - DNSSEC check failed: this domain isn't protected by DNSSEC.
  - The authorisation server offers only Dynamic Client Registration (RFC 7591), which MCP 2026-07-28 deprecated in favour of Client ID Metadata Documents.
- **Transport & Reachability**: 0/100
  - Transport check failed: declared streamable-http, but the endpoint redirected instead of responding directly.
- **Schema Quality & AI Usability**: 80/100
  - 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 1479 tokens (~211/item across 7 items; 7 tools + 0 resources), over budget; trim descriptions and params.
  - Usage-examples check failed: none of the tools include examples.
- **Stability & Change Management**: 17/100
  - Stability observed for 5 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.
- **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 deSEC MCP by usefulapi server?

deSEC MCP by usefulapi is a hosted endpoint at https://desec.usefulapi.io/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 io-usefulapi-desec 'https://desec.usefulapi.io/mcp'
```

### Cursor

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "io-usefulapi-desec": {
      "url": "https://desec.usefulapi.io/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

### VS Code

```json
{
  "servers": {
    "io-usefulapi-desec": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://desec.usefulapi.io/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

### Codex

```toml
[mcp_servers.io-usefulapi-desec]
url = "https://desec.usefulapi.io/mcp"
```

### opencode

```json
{
  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
  "mcp": {
    "io-usefulapi-desec": {
      "type": "remote",
      "url": "https://desec.usefulapi.io/mcp",
      "enabled": true
    }
  }
}
```

### OpenClaw

```bash
openclaw mcp add io-usefulapi-desec --url 'https://desec.usefulapi.io/mcp' --transport streamable-http
```

### Hermes

```yaml
mcp_servers:
  io-usefulapi-desec:
    url: "https://desec.usefulapi.io/mcp"
```

### Netclaw

```json
{
  "McpServers": {
    "io-usefulapi-desec": {
      "Transport": "http",
      "Url": "https://desec.usefulapi.io/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

### Vellum

```bash
assistant mcp add io-usefulapi-desec -t streamable-http -u 'https://desec.usefulapi.io/mcp'
```

### Other

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "io-usefulapi-desec": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://desec.usefulapi.io/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.

### 2026-10-16 (score 64, +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.

### 2026-10-14 (score 63, +3)

- [security] The server rewrote its instructions, which are the text every model session reads
- [functional] The server now declares the “prompts” capability
- [functional] First check of Schema quality: 100
- [functional] New prompt “getting_started”
- [functional] Server version: 1.0.0 → 1.1.0

### 2026-10-13 (score 60, 0)

- [functional improvement] Stability: unverified → 0.03

### 2026-10-12 (score 60)

First indexed and scored.

## MCP tools (7)

### `desec_list_domains` (~140 tokens)

List domains

List the DNS domains (zones) in this deSEC account, newest first, with creation and last-published times and minimum TTL. DNSSEC keys are omitted here (see desec_get_domain). Use owns_qname to find which of your domains is responsible for a DNS name (for example before adding a record for www.dev.example.net). Up to 500 per page. GET /domains/.

Input parameters:

- `cursor` (string): Opaque cursor from a previous reply's next_cursor. Omit for the first page.
- `owns_qname` (string): Only the domain that is authoritative for this DNS name (the longest matching zone you own).

### `desec_get_domain` (~77 tokens)

Get domain

One domain with its DNSSEC key material: the DNSKEY and the DS records to publish at the registrar for the chain of trust, plus minimum TTL and publication times. GET /domains/{name}/.

Input parameters:

- `domain` (string, required): Domain name in this deSEC account, e.g. example.com (see desec_list_domains).

### `desec_export_zonefile` (~86 tokens)

Export zonefile

The whole zone as a plain-text BIND-format zonefile (all RRsets except DNSSEC types). Handy as a backup before changing records. Counts as an expensive deSEC operation (300/min). GET /domains/{name}/zonefile/.

Input parameters:

- `domain` (string, required): Domain name in this deSEC account, e.g. example.com (see desec_list_domains).

### `desec_list_rrsets` (~165 tokens)

List RRsets

List the DNS records of a domain as RRsets (all records of one name and type, sharing one TTL), newest first. Filter by type and/or subname. Up to 500 per page. GET /domains/{name}/rrsets/.

Input parameters:

- `cursor` (string): Opaque cursor from a previous reply's next_cursor. Omit for the first page.
- `domain` (string, required): Domain name in this deSEC account, e.g. example.com (see desec_list_domains).
- `subname` (string): Only RRsets at this subname ("" or "@" = the zone apex). Omit to include every subname.
- `type` (string): Only RRsets of this type, e.g. A, MX, TXT.

### `desec_get_rrset` (~154 tokens)

Get RRset

One RRset by subname and type, e.g. the A records of "www" or the MX records of the apex. GET /domains/{name}/rrsets/{subname}/{type}/.

Input parameters:

- `domain` (string, required): Domain name in this deSEC account, e.g. example.com (see desec_list_domains).
- `subname` (string): Subname relative to the domain: "www", "_443._tcp.www", "*" for a wildcard. Empty or "@" = the zone apex. Never the full name.
- `type` (string, required): Record type, e.g. A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT, CAA, SRV, TLSA.

### `desec_create_rrset` (~313 tokens)

Create RRset

WRITE: create ONE new RRset (a set of DNS records of one type at one name) in a domain. It goes live in DNS immediately and a wrong record can take a site or mail offline. Fails if an RRset with this subname and type already exists (use desec_replace_rrset for that) or if a CNAME would conflict with other records. Never touches the apex NS or DNSSEC records and cannot delete anything. Subject to deSEC's write limits (15/min, 300/day per domain). POST /domains/{name}/rrsets/.

Input parameters:

- `domain` (string, required): Domain name in this deSEC account, e.g. example.com (see desec_list_domains).
- `records` (array, required): Record contents in zone-file format, at least one (an empty list would delete the RRset and is refused). Names need a trailing dot ("10 mx.example.com."), TXT needs quotes ("\"v=spf1 -all\"").
- `subname` (string): Subname relative to the domain: "www", "_443._tcp.www", "*" for a wildcard. Empty or "@" = the zone apex. Never the full name.
- `ttl` (integer, required): TTL in seconds, at most 86400. Not below the domain's minimum_ttl (usually 3600): deSEC rejects lower values.
- `type` (string, required): Record type (uppercase). DNSSEC types and SOA are managed by deSEC and cannot be written.

### `desec_replace_rrset` (~329 tokens)

Replace RRset

WRITE (overwrites): set ONE RRset to exactly the given TTL and records, creating it if it does not exist and REPLACING all its current records if it does. It goes live in DNS immediately; a wrong value can take a site or mail offline. The previous RRset is read first and returned as `previous` so the change can be undone with another call. An empty record list is refused (this tool never deletes), and the apex NS and DNSSEC records cannot be changed. Subject to deSEC's write limits (15/min, 300/day per domain). PUT /domains/{name}/rrsets/ with a one-element array.

Input parameters:

- `domain` (string, required): Domain name in this deSEC account, e.g. example.com (see desec_list_domains).
- `records` (array, required): Record contents in zone-file format, at least one (an empty list would delete the RRset and is refused). Names need a trailing dot ("10 mx.example.com."), TXT needs quotes ("\"v=spf1 -all\"").
- `subname` (string): Subname relative to the domain: "www", "_443._tcp.www", "*" for a wildcard. Empty or "@" = the zone apex. Never the full name.
- `ttl` (integer, required): TTL in seconds, at most 86400. Not below the domain's minimum_ttl (usually 3600): deSEC rejects lower values.
- `type` (string, required): Record type (uppercase). DNSSEC types and SOA are managed by deSEC and cannot be written.

## Diagnostics

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

## Score history

- 2026-10-17: 64
- 2026-10-16: 64
- 2026-10-15: 63
- 2026-10-14: 63
- 2026-10-13: 60
- 2026-10-12: 60

## Common questions

### What is the deSEC MCP by usefulapi server?

deSEC MCP by usefulapi is listed in the public MCP registry as io.usefulapi/desec. Read deSEC domains, DNSSEC keys, zone files and RRsets; create or replace one DNS record set. This page covers its hosted endpoint (https://desec.usefulapi.io/mcp).

### Is the deSEC MCP by usefulapi server safe to use?

deSEC MCP by usefulapi scores 64 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 deSEC MCP by usefulapi server expose?

deSEC MCP by usefulapi exposes 7 tools: desec_list_domains, desec_get_domain, desec_export_zonefile, desec_list_rrsets, desec_get_rrset, and 2 more. Their descriptions and schemas cost roughly 1,264 tokens of context every time the server is loaded.

### Does the deSEC MCP by usefulapi server require authentication?

Yes. deSEC MCP by usefulapi asked us for credentials when we connected, so you will need to authorise it in your MCP client before it can do anything.

### Is the deSEC MCP by usefulapi server still maintained?

deSEC MCP by usefulapi is still listed as active in the MCP registry. We last reached this channel on 17 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://desec.usefulapi.io/mcp
- Repository: https://github.com/m190/usefulapi-mcp
- Website: https://usefulapi.io/desec/
- Changelog RSS feed: https://verifymcp.io/servers/io-usefulapi-desec/desec.xml
- Changelog JSON feed: https://verifymcp.io/servers/io-usefulapi-desec/desec.json
- HTML version of this page: https://verifymcp.io/servers/io-usefulapi-desec/desec