# The Real Cost (pypi · therealcost-mcp)

Free US money calculators with the math shown, from The Real Cost. Education only.

- Trust score: 83/100 (high trust)
- Change this week: +2
- Registry status: active
- Liveness: live
- Owner verified: no
- Last scored: 2026-11-05

## Components

- pypi · `therealcost-mcp`: 83/100 (this document), [markdown](https://verifymcp.io/servers/nobanks-therealcost-mcp/therealcost-mcp.md), [page](https://verifymcp.io/servers/nobanks-therealcost-mcp/therealcost-mcp)

## Channel facts

- Registry: `pypi`
- Package: `therealcost-mcp`
- Version: `0.1.0`
- 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 2026-11-05.

- **Supply Chain Security**: 100/100
  - No malware found by supply-chain analysis.
  - No known CVEs affecting this package version or its production dependencies.
  - Runs hatchling.build at install time, a recognised build step with no custom scripting around it.
  - 0 of 28 dependencies flagged as unhealthy.
- **Provenance & Transparency**: 45/100
  - Source repository is publicly reachable at the declared URL.
  - Provenance check failed: no build-provenance attestation is published.
  - Clear OSI-approved license (MIT).
  - Actively maintained (last published 34 days ago).
  - Disclosure check failed: no security disclosure policy was found in the source repository.
- **Schema Quality & AI Usability**: 64/100
  - AI-judged instruction clarity (excellent).
  - Context-footprint check failed: tool/resource definitions use about 1349 tokens (~224/item across 6 items; 6 tools + 0 resources), over budget; trim descriptions and params.
  - Usage-examples check failed: none of the tools include examples.
- **Stability & Change Management**: 100/100
  - No destabilizing schema changes in the last 30 days.
- **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 6 captured tool definition(s), and no name or description among them implies an irreversible operation.
  - An AI judge read all 7 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 The Real Cost MCP server?

The Real Cost runs locally as a PyPI package, launched with uvx therealcost-mcp. 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 nobanks-therealcost-mcp -- uvx therealcost-mcp
```

### Cursor

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "nobanks-therealcost-mcp": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "therealcost-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

### VS Code

```json
{
  "servers": {
    "nobanks-therealcost-mcp": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "therealcost-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

### Codex

```bash
codex mcp add nobanks-therealcost-mcp -- uvx therealcost-mcp
```

### opencode

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

### OpenClaw

```bash
openclaw mcp add nobanks-therealcost-mcp --command uvx --arg therealcost-mcp
```

### Hermes

```yaml
mcp_servers:
  nobanks-therealcost-mcp:
    command: "uvx"
    args: ["therealcost-mcp"]
```

### Netclaw

```json
{
  "McpServers": {
    "nobanks-therealcost-mcp": {
      "Transport": "stdio",
      "Command": "uvx",
      "Arguments": [
        "therealcost-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

### Vellum

```bash
assistant mcp add nobanks-therealcost-mcp -t stdio -c uvx -a therealcost-mcp
```

### Other

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "nobanks-therealcost-mcp": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "therealcost-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

## 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.

### 2026-11-03 (score 83, +15)

- [security improvement] Malware scan: unverified → pass

### 2026-11-02 (score 68, −15)

- [security regression] Malware scan: pass → unverified

### 2026-11-01 (score 83, +16)

- [security improvement] Malware scan: unverified → pass
- [security] Stability: 0.97 → pass

### 2026-10-31 (score 67, −15)

- [security regression] Malware scan: pass → unverified

### 2026-10-30 (score 82, +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.

### 2026-10-29 (score 81, +15)

- [security improvement] Malware scan: unverified → pass

### 2026-10-28 (score 66, +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.

### 2026-10-27 (score 65, 0)

- [security regression] Provenance: unverified → fail

## MCP tools (6)

### `credit_card_payoff` (~196 tokens)

Credit card payoff: months and total interest to clear a balance paying only the card minimum, versus a fixed monthly payment (optional), and the difference. Returns the formula in words and a pre-filled link to The Real Cost's free calculator. Education only.

Input parameters:

- `apr` (number, required): Card APR in percent, e.g. 24 for 24%.
- `balance` (number, required): Current card balance in US dollars, e.g. 5000.
- `min_floor` (number): Dollar floor on the minimum payment, from the statement.
- `min_pct` (number): Minimum payment percent of the balance (many cards use 1).
- `min_plus_interest` (boolean): True if the minimum is min_pct of the balance PLUS that month's interest (common); False if it is min_pct of the balance only.
- `payment`: Fixed monthly payment to compare against paying only the minimum, e.g. 200.

### `debt_consolidation` (~148 tokens)

Debt consolidation: compare current debts (each with balance, APR, monthly payment) against one consolidation loan, including the origination fee taken out of the loan. Returns monthly payment, months, total interest and total cost for both, the formula, and a pre-filled calculator link. Education only.

Input parameters:

- `debts` (array, required): Debts kept as they are today.
- `loan_apr` (number, required): Consolidation loan APR in percent.
- `loan_term_months` (integer, required): Consolidation loan term in months, e.g. 48.
- `origination_fee_pct` (number): Origination fee in percent, taken out of the loan (so the loan is sized up).

### `loan_cost_by_term` (~105 tokens)

Loan cost by term: monthly payment, total interest and total paid for the same loan over several terms (default 36, 48, 60, 72, 84 months). Returns the formula and a pre-filled calculator link. Education only.

Input parameters:

- `apr` (number, required): Loan APR in percent.
- `principal` (number, required): Amount borrowed in dollars.
- `terms` (array): Loan terms in months to compare. The first two pre-fill the site calculator.

### `crypto_trade_cost` (~239 tokens)

Crypto trading cost: the trading fee, spread and network fees on a buy and a later sale at the same price, the price rise needed to break even, and (with weekly_buy) the yearly cost of recurring buys. Returns the formula and a pre-filled calculator link. Education only, not investment advice.

Input parameters:

- `amount` (number, required): Dollar amount of the buy, e.g. 1000.
- `buys_per_year` (integer): Recurring buys per year: 52 weekly, 26 biweekly, 12 monthly.
- `fee_pct` (number, required): Trading fee per trade in percent, e.g. 0.6.
- `flat_fee_per_buy` (number): Flat fee some platforms add on each small recurring buy.
- `network_fee_buy` (number): Flat network or withdrawal fee after the buy, dollars.
- `network_fee_sell` (number): Flat network fee to move coins back to sell, dollars.
- `spread_pct` (number, required): Spread per trade in percent, e.g. 0.5.
- `weekly_buy`: Recurring buy amount in dollars; adds the yearly cost of recurring buys.

### `emergency_fund` (~191 tokens)

Emergency fund: goal = monthly expenses x months to cover, months to reach it from current savings and a monthly deposit (optional APY), and the monthly amount needed to reach it by a target date or number of months. Returns the formula and a pre-filled calculator link. Education only.

Input parameters:

- `apy` (number): Savings account APY in percent (0 counts only deposits).
- `monthly_add` (number): Amount added each month in dollars.
- `monthly_expenses` (number, required): Monthly must-pay expenses in dollars.
- `months_covered` (integer, required): Months of expenses the fund should cover, e.g. 3.
- `saved` (number): Amount already saved in dollars.
- `target_date`: Reach the goal by this month, YYYY-MM or YYYY-MM-DD. Overrides target_months.
- `target_months`: Reach the goal in this many months (default 12).

### `list_guides` (~90 tokens)

List The Real Cost's ten plain-English money guides (titles, page counts, what each covers, $4.99 each; all ten as a $24.95 complete set, 10 for the price of 5; guides 1-3 also as a $9.98 starter pack) with the link to the guides page. Use when a user wants to go deeper than one calculation.

## Diagnostics

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

## Score history

- 2026-11-05: 83
- 2026-11-04: 83
- 2026-11-03: 83
- 2026-11-02: 68
- 2026-11-01: 83
- 2026-10-31: 67
- 2026-10-30: 82
- 2026-10-29: 81
- 2026-10-28: 66
- 2026-10-27: 65
- 2026-10-26: 65
- 2026-10-25: 64
- 2026-10-24: 79
- 2026-10-23: 78
- 2026-10-22: 78
- 2026-10-21: 77
- 2026-10-20: 77
- 2026-10-19: 77
- 2026-10-18: 76
- 2026-10-17: 76
- 2026-10-16: 75
- 2026-10-15: 75
- 2026-10-14: 74
- 2026-10-13: 69
- 2026-10-12: 69
- 2026-10-07: 69
- 2026-10-04: 69
- 2026-10-03: 69
- 2026-10-02: 54

## Common questions

### What is the The Real Cost MCP server?

The Real Cost is an MCP server listed in the public MCP registry as io.github.NoBanks/therealcost-mcp. Free US money calculators with the math shown, from The Real Cost. Education only. This page covers its PyPI package (therealcost-mcp).

### Is the The Real Cost MCP server safe to use?

The Real Cost scores 83 out of 100 on VerifyMCP. We found no known CVEs affecting it as of 5 November 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 The Real Cost MCP server expose?

The Real Cost exposes 6 tools: credit_card_payoff, debt_consolidation, loan_cost_by_term, crypto_trade_cost, emergency_fund, list_guides. Their descriptions and schemas cost roughly 969 tokens of context every time the server is loaded.

### Is the The Real Cost MCP server still maintained?

The Real Cost 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.

### What licence is the The Real Cost MCP server under?

The Real Cost declares the MIT licence, which is OSI-approved. That covers the source only, and says nothing about the cost of any service it calls.

## Links

- PyPI project: https://pypi.org/project/therealcost-mcp/
- Socket report: https://socket.dev/pypi/package/therealcost-mcp
- Repository: https://github.com/NoBanks/therealcost-mcp
- Website: https://therealcost.nohumannearby.com/
- Changelog RSS feed: https://verifymcp.io/servers/nobanks-therealcost-mcp/therealcost-mcp.xml
- Changelog JSON feed: https://verifymcp.io/servers/nobanks-therealcost-mcp/therealcost-mcp.json
- HTML version of this page: https://verifymcp.io/servers/nobanks-therealcost-mcp/therealcost-mcp