# CTFd (pypi · ctfd-mcp-server)

MCP server for CTFd v3: list challenges, submit flags, and query scoreboards via AI agents.

- Trust score: 66/100 (medium)
- Registry status: active
- Liveness: live
- Owner verified: no
- Last scored: 2026-09-21

## Components

- pypi · `ctfd-mcp-server`: 66/100 (this document), [markdown](https://verifymcp.io/servers/mrjamescot-ctfd-mcp-server/ctfd-mcp-server.md), [page](https://verifymcp.io/servers/mrjamescot-ctfd-mcp-server/ctfd-mcp-server)

## Channel facts

- Registry: `pypi`
- Package: `ctfd-mcp-server`
- Version: `1.0.4`
- Transport: `stdio`

## Trust breakdown

How this component scores in each security and reliability category. Every signal is checked automatically from public evidence about the published package, including repeated runs of it in an isolated sandbox, 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 2026-09-21.

- **Supply Chain Security**: 100/100
  - No malware found by supply-chain analysis.
  - No known CVEs affecting this package version or its production dependencies.
  - Runs setuptools.build_meta at install time, a recognised native-build step with no shell scripting around it.
  - 1 of 45 dependencies flagged as unhealthy.
- **Provenance & Transparency**: 32/100
  - Source repository is publicly reachable at the declared URL.
  - Provenance check failed: no build-provenance attestation is published.
  - License check failed: no license is declared.
  - Actively maintained (last published 0 days ago).
  - Disclosure check failed: no security disclosure policy was found in the source repository.
- **Schema Quality & AI Usability**: 80/100
  - AI-judged instruction clarity (excellent).
  - Tool/resource definitions use about 846 tokens (~60/item across 14 items; 14 tools + 0 resources), lean.
  - Usage-examples check failed: none of the tools include examples.
- **Stability & Change Management**: 0/100
  - Stability not yet verified: not enough scan history yet (needs a 30-day window).
- **Tool Coverage**: 71/100
  - 100% of tools have a non-trivial description (not blank, and not just the tool's name).
  - 0% 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 14 captured tool definition(s), and no name or description among them implies an irreversible operation.
  - An AI judge read all 14 captured unit(s) of tool text and found none that tries to manipulate the model reading it.
- **Capabilities**: 100/100
  - Implements a supported MCP spec version (2025-11-25); the latest is 2026-07-28.

**Unverified: 1 category.** A category scored 0 because we could not verify it: a data source with nothing on this package, evidence we could not reach, or a check we could not run. We only credit what we can confirm.

## Install

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

CTFd runs locally as a PyPI package, launched with uvx ctfd-mcp-server. 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 mrjamescot-ctfd-mcp-server -- uvx ctfd-mcp-server
```

### Cursor

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mrjamescot-ctfd-mcp-server": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "ctfd-mcp-server"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

### VS Code

```json
{
  "servers": {
    "mrjamescot-ctfd-mcp-server": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "ctfd-mcp-server"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

### Codex

```bash
codex mcp add mrjamescot-ctfd-mcp-server -- uvx ctfd-mcp-server
```

### opencode

```json
{
  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
  "mcp": {
    "mrjamescot-ctfd-mcp-server": {
      "type": "local",
      "command": [
        "uvx",
        "ctfd-mcp-server"
      ],
      "enabled": true
    }
  }
}
```

### OpenClaw

```bash
openclaw mcp add mrjamescot-ctfd-mcp-server --command uvx --arg ctfd-mcp-server
```

### Hermes

```yaml
mcp_servers:
  mrjamescot-ctfd-mcp-server:
    command: "uvx"
    args: ["ctfd-mcp-server"]
```

### Netclaw

```json
{
  "McpServers": {
    "mrjamescot-ctfd-mcp-server": {
      "Transport": "stdio",
      "Command": "uvx",
      "Arguments": [
        "ctfd-mcp-server"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

### Vellum

```bash
assistant mcp add mrjamescot-ctfd-mcp-server -t stdio -c uvx -a ctfd-mcp-server
```

### Other

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mrjamescot-ctfd-mcp-server": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "ctfd-mcp-server"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

## 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.

### 2026-09-21 (score 66, +30)

- [security improvement] Injection markers: unverified → pass
- [security] First check of Judged manipulation: pass
- [security] Stability: Stability not yet verified: not enough scan history yet (needs a 30-day window).
- [security] Tool safety: Tool safety not yet verified: we do not have a sandbox capture of the tool definitions this version of the package serves yet.
- [security] Stability: Stability not yet verified: we do not have a sandbox capture of the MCP schema this version of the package serves yet.
- [functional improvement] Tool coverage: unverified → 100
- [functional improvement] MCP protocol: unverified → pass
- [functional] First check of Tool coverage: 0
- [functional] First check of Schema quality: fail
- [functional] First check of Schema quality: excellent
- [functional] First check of Destructive annotations: pass
- [functional] First check of Schema quality: pass
- [functional] First check of Tool coverage: 100
- [functional] Capabilities: Protocol version not yet verified: we do not have a sandbox capture of the MCP handshake this version of the package performs yet.
- [functional] Tool coverage: Tool coverage not yet verified: we do not have a sandbox capture of the tool definitions this version of the package serves yet.
- [functional] Schema quality: Schema quality not yet verified: we do not have a sandbox capture of the MCP schema this version of the package serves yet.
- [functional] Package version: 1.0.3 → 1.0.4

### 2026-09-20 (score 36)

First indexed and scored.

## MCP tools (14)

### `set_base_url` (~54 tokens)

Configure the CTFd instance this server talks to.

Args:
    url: absolute http(s) URL of the CTFd instance, e.g. https://ctf.example.com

Input parameters:

- `url` (string, required)

Output parameters:

- `result` (string)

### `set_token` (~42 tokens)

Use an API token for authentication (stored in memory only, never logged).

Args:
    token: CTFd API access token.

Input parameters:

- `token` (string, required)

Output parameters:

- `result` (string)

### `set_cookie` (~56 tokens)

Use a session cookie for authentication (memory only, never logged).

Args:
    cookie: full session cookie value, e.g. "session=abc..." or "name=..; session=..".

Input parameters:

- `cookie` (string, required)

Output parameters:

- `result` (string)

### `login` (~70 tokens)

Log in to CTFd with a username and password (kept in memory only).

Creates a session cookie; the password is never returned.

Args:
    username: CTFd account name.
    password: CTFd account password.

Input parameters:

- `password` (string, required)
- `username` (string, required)

Output parameters:

- `result` (string)

### `challenges` (~116 tokens)

List challenges with optional filters and pagination.

Args:
    category: filter by challenge category (exact match).
    search: case-insensitive substring match on challenge name.
    solved: only show solved (True) or unsolved (False) challenges.
    page: page number (1-based) when no filters are applied.
    per_page: number of challenges per page (1-100).

Input parameters:

- `category`
- `page` (integer)
- `per_page` (integer)
- `search`
- `solved`

Output parameters:

- `result` (string)

### `challenge` (~60 tokens)

Get the full detail of a single challenge by numeric id or name.

Includes description, category, value, files, hints and connection info.

Args:
    identifier: challenge id (e.g. "3") or challenge name.

Input parameters:

- `identifier` (string, required)

Output parameters:

- `result` (string)

### `submit_flag` (~115 tokens)

Submit a flag for a challenge.

Safety: requires confirm=True. Provide exactly one of challenge_id or
challenge_name. The flag value is never logged.

Args:
    flag: the flag to submit.
    challenge_name: name of the challenge to submit against.
    challenge_id: numeric id of the challenge to submit against.
    confirm: must be set to True as an explicit submission opt-in.

Input parameters:

- `challenge_id`
- `challenge_name`
- `confirm` (boolean)
- `flag` (string, required)

Output parameters:

- `result` (string)

### `download_file` (~121 tokens)

Download a challenge attachment to the local machine.

Challenge detail (``challenge`` tool) returns a ``files`` array with
site-relative paths like ``/files/<hash>/<name>`` (signed URLs on some
deployments).  Pass one of those values here.

Args:
    file_url: absolute http(s) URL or site-relative path to the file.
    dest_dir: optional local directory to store the file in (default:
        CTFD_DOWNLOAD_DIR or ./downloads).

Input parameters:

- `dest_dir`
- `file_url` (string, required)

Output parameters:

- `result` (string)

### `unlock_hint` (~94 tokens)

Unlock a challenge hint and return its content.

WARNING: on CTFd a hint with a non-zero ``cost`` deducts that many points
from your account.  When two hint IDs are needed (e.g. a hint's
prerequisites), unlock them in order.

Args:
    hint_id: numeric id of the hint (see the ``challenge`` tool result).

Input parameters:

- `hint_id` (integer, required)

Output parameters:

- `result` (string)

### `scoreboard` (~18 tokens)

Return the public CTFd scoreboard (top standings).

Output parameters:

- `result` (string)

### `progress` (~18 tokens)

Return the authenticated user's progress (score and solved challenges).

Output parameters:

- `result` (string)

### `instance_info` (~26 tokens)

Return safe, public metadata about the configured CTFd instance.

No secrets are included.

Output parameters:

- `result` (string)

### `auth_status` (~32 tokens)

Report whether the current session is authenticated and which auth mode is active.

Reveals no tokens/cookies/passwords.

Output parameters:

- `result` (string)

### `health` (~24 tokens)

Perform a health check: CTFd reachability, API status and authentication state.

Output parameters:

- `result` (string)

## Diagnostics

Captured diagnostic sections: Provenance, Install scripts, Dependencies. The full working is on the page: https://verifymcp.io/servers/mrjamescot-ctfd-mcp-server/ctfd-mcp-server#diagnostics

## Score history

- 2026-09-21: 66
- 2026-09-20: 36

## Common questions

### What is the CTFd MCP server?

CTFd is an MCP server listed in the public MCP registry as io.github.MrJamescot/ctfd-mcp-server. MCP server for CTFd v3: list challenges, submit flags, and query scoreboards via AI agents. This page covers its PyPI package (ctfd-mcp-server).

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

CTFd scores 66 out of 100 on VerifyMCP. We found no known CVEs affecting it as of 21 September 2026. 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 CTFd MCP server expose?

CTFd exposes 14 tools: set_base_url, set_token, set_cookie, login, challenges, and 9 more. Their descriptions and schemas cost roughly 846 tokens of context every time the server is loaded.

### Is the CTFd MCP server still maintained?

CTFd is still listed as active in the MCP registry. We last reached this channel on 21 September 2026. Those dates come from our own scans of the registry and the channel itself, not from anything the publisher announced.

## Links

- PyPI project: https://pypi.org/project/ctfd-mcp-server/
- Socket report: https://socket.dev/pypi/package/ctfd-mcp-server
- Repository: https://github.com/MrJamescot/ctfd-mcp-server
- Changelog RSS feed: https://verifymcp.io/servers/mrjamescot-ctfd-mcp-server/ctfd-mcp-server.xml
- Changelog JSON feed: https://verifymcp.io/servers/mrjamescot-ctfd-mcp-server/ctfd-mcp-server.json
- HTML version of this page: https://verifymcp.io/servers/mrjamescot-ctfd-mcp-server/ctfd-mcp-server