# Basis Desk — crypto news & market data (remote · basisdesk.news)

Source-verified crypto news, live prices, whale transfers, token safety checks and the Daily Brief.

- Trust score: 68/100 (medium)
- Registry status: active
- Liveness: live
- Owner verified: no
- Last scored: 2026-10-04

## Components

- remote · `basisdesk.news`: 68/100 (this document), [markdown](https://verifymcp.io/servers/news-basisdesk-mcp/basisdesk.md), [page](https://verifymcp.io/servers/news-basisdesk-mcp/basisdesk)

## Channel facts

- Endpoint: `https://basisdesk.news/mcp`
- Transports: `streamable-http`
- Auth: `none`
- Version: `1.1.0`

## 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 2026-10-04.

- **Endpoint Security**: 69/100
  - 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 enforcement could not be verified: the plaintext port answered with HTTP 405, which proves neither a plaintext path nor enforcement.
  - The HSTS (Strict-Transport-Security) header is present.
  - 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**: 71/100
  - AI-judged instruction clarity (good).
  - Tool/resource definitions use about 800 tokens (~114/item across 7 items; 7 tools + 0 resources), lean.
  - Usage-examples check failed: none of the tools include examples.
- **Stability & Change Management**: 13/100
  - Stability observed for 4 of 30 days with no destabilising changes; credit accrues until the full window elapses.
- **Tool Coverage**: 74/100
  - 100% of tools have a non-trivial description (not blank, and not just the tool's name).
  - 21% 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**: 100/100
  - Implements a supported MCP spec version (2025-11-25); the latest is 2026-07-28.

## Install

### How do I install the Basis Desk — crypto news & market data MCP server?

Basis Desk — crypto news & market data is a hosted endpoint at https://basisdesk.news/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 news-basisdesk-mcp 'https://basisdesk.news/mcp'
```

### Cursor

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

### VS Code

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

### Codex

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

### opencode

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

### OpenClaw

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

### Hermes

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

### Netclaw

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

### Vellum

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

### Other

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "news-basisdesk-mcp": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://basisdesk.news/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.

### 2026-10-03 (score 68, +1)

No change was recorded against any check on this day. Stability & Change Management went from 7 to 10. That category is still filling its 30-day observation window: 2 days of observed history at the previous scan, 3 at this one. The score rises as the window fills, whether or not the server changes.

### 2026-10-01 (score 67, +1)

- [functional improvement] Stability: unverified → 0.03

### 2026-09-30 (score 66)

First indexed and scored.

## MCP tools (7)

### `search_news` (~135 tokens)

Search Basis Desk news

Search Basis Desk, a crypto newsroom that verifies every story against primary sources (SEC/CFTC/Fed filings, court records, company and protocol releases). Use for questions about a crypto event, company, regulator, token or protocol (e.g. 'SEC generic listing standards', 'Bitwise NEAR ETF', 'Solana validator client'). Returns matching stories (newest first) with headline, date, summary and URL; follow up with get_article for the full text and sources.

Input parameters:

- `limit` (integer)
- `query` (string, required): Keywords, e.g. 'SEC ETF staking' or a ticker like 'SOL'

### `latest_news` (~102 tokens)

Latest Basis Desk stories

Latest crypto news from Basis Desk, updated around the clock — use for 'what is happening in crypto today' or the newest stories in one area. Filter by category (bitcoin, ethereum, defi, regulation, institutions, security, stablecoins, macro…) or kind (news, analysis, explainer). Returns headline, date, summary, tickers and URL.

Input parameters:

- `category` (string)
- `kind` (string)
- `limit` (integer)

### `get_article` (~78 tokens)

Get a Basis Desk article

Fetch one Basis Desk article as Markdown: key points, body, FAQ and the numbered primary sources it was checked against (with links). Use after search_news/latest_news when you need details, quotes or citations. Accepts a basisdesk.news URL or slug. Cite the article URL when you use it.

Input parameters:

- `url_or_slug` (string, required)

### `market_snapshot` (~110 tokens)

Crypto market snapshot

Current crypto market data: prices refreshed every minute from exchange feeds, 1h/24h/7d change, market cap, total market cap, BTC dominance, Crypto Fear & Greed, Ethereum gas and Bitcoin fees. Use for 'price of X', market overview or sentiment questions. Pass symbols (e.g. ["BTC","ETH"]) or omit for the top 15.

Input parameters:

- `symbols` (array): e.g. ["BTC","ETH","SOL"]; default top 15 by market cap

### `whale_transfers` (~101 tokens)

Large on-chain transfers

Large on-chain transfers ('whale moves') found by Basis Desk's own scanner: Ethereum ETH and major stablecoins/wrapped assets from $5M, Bitcoin from 100 BTC (change outputs excluded), with exchange wallet labels and direction (to/from exchange). Use for whale activity or exchange inflow/outflow questions. Last 7 days.

Input parameters:

- `chain` (string)
- `limit` (integer)
- `min_usd` (number)

### `token_safety` (~106 tokens)

Token contract safety check

Safety check of a token contract before someone buys or approves it: honeypot behaviour, buy/sell tax, mint/pause/blacklist powers, proxy upgradeability, owner privileges, holder concentration — data from GoPlus Security, explained in plain English by Basis Desk. Use when a user asks whether a token or contract address is safe or a scam. Informational only, not investment advice.

Input parameters:

- `address` (string, required): Token contract address
- `chain` (string, required)

### `daily_brief` (~80 tokens)

Basis Desk Daily Brief

Basis Desk Daily Brief: the 5–7 crypto stories that mattered, the numbers that moved and what to watch, published every morning (07:00 ET) plus an evening wrap. Use for 'crypto news summary today/yesterday' or a specific date (YYYY-MM-DD).

Input parameters:

- `date` (string)
- `edition` (string)

## Diagnostics

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

## Score history

- 2026-10-04: 68
- 2026-10-03: 68
- 2026-10-02: 67
- 2026-10-01: 67
- 2026-09-30: 66

## Common questions

### What is the Basis Desk — crypto news & market data MCP server?

Basis Desk — crypto news & market data is an MCP server listed in the public MCP registry as news.basisdesk/mcp. Source-verified crypto news, live prices, whale transfers, token safety checks and the Daily Brief. This page covers its hosted endpoint (https://basisdesk.news/mcp).

### Is the Basis Desk — crypto news & market data MCP server safe to use?

Basis Desk — crypto news & market data scores 68 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 Basis Desk — crypto news & market data MCP server expose?

Basis Desk — crypto news & market data exposes 7 tools: search_news, latest_news, get_article, market_snapshot, whale_transfers, and 2 more. Their descriptions and schemas cost roughly 712 tokens of context every time the server is loaded.

### Does the Basis Desk — crypto news & market data MCP server require authentication?

No. We connected to Basis Desk — crypto news & market data without credentials and it answered, so anything it exposes is reachable by anyone who knows the address.

### Is the Basis Desk — crypto news & market data MCP server still maintained?

Basis Desk — crypto news & market data is still listed as active in the MCP registry. We last reached this channel on 4 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://basisdesk.news/mcp
- Website: https://basisdesk.news/developers
- Changelog RSS feed: https://verifymcp.io/servers/news-basisdesk-mcp/basisdesk.xml
- Changelog JSON feed: https://verifymcp.io/servers/news-basisdesk-mcp/basisdesk.json
- HTML version of this page: https://verifymcp.io/servers/news-basisdesk-mcp/basisdesk