# Hackertarget (npm · @pipeworx/mcp-hackertarget)

HackerTarget MCP.

- Trust score: 84/100 (high trust)
- Change this week: +3
- Registry status: active
- Liveness: live
- Owner verified: no
- Last scored: 2026-11-05

## Components

- remote · `gateway.pipeworx.io`: 64/100, [markdown](https://verifymcp.io/servers/pipeworx-io-hackertarget/hackertarget-mcp.md), [page](https://verifymcp.io/servers/pipeworx-io-hackertarget/hackertarget-mcp)
- npm · `@pipeworx/mcp-hackertarget`: 84/100 (this document), [markdown](https://verifymcp.io/servers/pipeworx-io-hackertarget/pipeworx-mcp-hackertarget.md), [page](https://verifymcp.io/servers/pipeworx-io-hackertarget/pipeworx-mcp-hackertarget)

## Channel facts

- Registry: `npm`
- Package: `@pipeworx/mcp-hackertarget`
- Version: `0.2.1`
- 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.
  - No install/post-install scripts declared.
  - No production dependencies, so there is no dependency health to assess.
- **Provenance & Transparency**: 97/100
  - Source repository is publicly reachable at the declared URL.
  - Cryptographically verified build provenance (signed, bound to pipeworx-io/mcp-hackertarget).
  - Clear OSI-approved license (MIT).
  - Actively maintained (last published 2 days ago).
  - Disclosure check failed: no security disclosure policy was found in the source repository.
- **Schema Quality & AI Usability**: 77/100
  - AI-judged instruction clarity (excellent).
  - Context-footprint check failed: tool/resource definitions use about 1859 tokens (~132/item across 14 items; 14 tools + 0 resources), over budget; trim descriptions and params.
  - Usage-examples check failed: none of the tools include examples.
- **Stability & Change Management**: 23/100
  - Stability observed for 7 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 14 captured tool definition(s), and no name or description among them implies an irreversible operation.
  - An AI judge read all 15 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 Hackertarget MCP server?

Hackertarget runs locally as an npm package, launched with npx -y @pipeworx/mcp-hackertarget. 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 pipeworx-io-hackertarget -- npx -y @pipeworx/mcp-hackertarget
```

### Cursor

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pipeworx-io-hackertarget": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@pipeworx/mcp-hackertarget"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

### VS Code

```json
{
  "servers": {
    "pipeworx-io-hackertarget": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@pipeworx/mcp-hackertarget"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

### Codex

```bash
codex mcp add pipeworx-io-hackertarget -- npx -y @pipeworx/mcp-hackertarget
```

### opencode

```json
{
  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
  "mcp": {
    "pipeworx-io-hackertarget": {
      "type": "local",
      "command": [
        "npx",
        "-y",
        "@pipeworx/mcp-hackertarget"
      ],
      "enabled": true
    }
  }
}
```

### OpenClaw

```bash
openclaw mcp add pipeworx-io-hackertarget --command npx --arg -y --arg @pipeworx/mcp-hackertarget
```

### Hermes

```yaml
mcp_servers:
  pipeworx-io-hackertarget:
    command: "npx"
    args: ["-y", "@pipeworx/mcp-hackertarget"]
```

### Netclaw

```json
{
  "McpServers": {
    "pipeworx-io-hackertarget": {
      "Transport": "stdio",
      "Command": "npx",
      "Arguments": [
        "-y",
        "@pipeworx/mcp-hackertarget"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

### Vellum

```bash
assistant mcp add pipeworx-io-hackertarget -t stdio -c npx -a -y @pipeworx/mcp-hackertarget
```

### Other

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pipeworx-io-hackertarget": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@pipeworx/mcp-hackertarget"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

## 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 84, +27)

- [security improvement] Malware scan: unverified → pass
- [security improvement] Known CVEs: unverified → pass
- [functional improvement] Dependency health: unverified → pass

### 2026-11-02 (score 57, −24)

- [security regression] Malware scan: pass → unverified
- [security regression] Known CVEs: pass → unverified
- [functional regression] Dependency health: pass → unverified
- [functional improvement] Stability: unverified → 0.13
- [functional] Package version: 0.2.0 → 0.2.1

### 2026-10-30 (score 81, 0)

- [functional regression] Security disclosure: unverified → fail

### 2026-10-29 (score 81)

First indexed and scored.

## MCP tools (14)

### `dns_lookup` (~107 tokens)

"Resolve [domain]" / "what IP does [site] point at" / "A records for [X]" — forward DNS lookup via HackerTarget, returning the A/AAAA/MX/NS/SOA records the resolver holds for a hostname. Use to check where a domain currently points, or to confirm a DNS change has propagated.

Input parameters:

- `target` (string, required): Hostname to resolve, e.g. "pipeworx.io". Not a URL — strip the scheme and path.

### `reverse_dns` (~107 tokens)

"What hostname is [IP]" / "reverse DNS for [address]" / "PTR record lookup" — reverse DNS (PTR) lookup via HackerTarget, mapping an IP address back to the hostname its owner published. Use to identify the operator behind an address in a log line. Returns nothing when no PTR record is set, which is common for cloud IPs.

Input parameters:

- `target` (string, required): IPv4 or IPv6 address, e.g. "8.8.8.8".

### `mtr` (~210 tokens)

"Network path to [host]" / "where does traffic to [X] slow down" / "per-hop latency" — mtr report via HackerTarget, combining traceroute and ping into a per-hop table of loss and latency measured FROM HackerTarget's probe host, not from you. Use to see which network hop is losing packets. REQUIRES AN API KEY: HackerTarget gates this endpoint, and the keyless tier answers "error valid key required" (verified 2026-09-16).

Input parameters:

- `_apiKey` (string, required): Your HackerTarget API key, from the member dashboard. HackerTarget requires an API key for whois, mtr and traceroute — its free tier refuses those three with "error valid key required". Pipeworx supp…
- `target` (string, required): Hostname or IP to trace to, e.g. "1.1.1.1".

### `nping` (~104 tokens)

"Is [host] up" / "ping [X]" / "round-trip time to [address]" — ICMP ping via HackerTarget, reporting reachability and round-trip time from HackerTarget's probe host. Use for a liveness check when you cannot ping from where you are. A host that blocks ICMP reads as down even when it serves traffic.

Input parameters:

- `target` (string, required): Hostname or IP to ping, e.g. "pipeworx.io".

### `dns_host_search` (~109 tokens)

"Subdomains of [domain]" / "what hosts exist under [X]" / "find an admin or staging subdomain" — passive DNS host search via HackerTarget, listing known subdomains of a domain with their IPs, drawn from previously observed DNS data rather than by guessing names. Use for attack-surface inventory or to find a forgotten staging host.

Input parameters:

- `target` (string, required): Registrable domain to enumerate, e.g. "pipeworx.io" (not a subdomain).

### `find_shared_dns` (~99 tokens)

"What else uses this nameserver" / "domains sharing DNS with [X]" — shared-nameserver search via HackerTarget, listing other domains served by the same DNS server. Use to map the infrastructure footprint of an operator, or to see who else would be affected if a nameserver went down.

Input parameters:

- `target` (string, required): Nameserver hostname or a domain whose nameservers to pivot on, e.g. "ns1.example.com".

### `geoip` (~112 tokens)

"Where is [IP] located" / "what country is this address in" / "geolocate an IP" — IP geolocation via HackerTarget, returning country, state/region, city and coordinates for an address. City-level accuracy is approximate and a VPN or CDN address reports its datacenter, not its user. Use for coarse traffic attribution, never to locate a person.

Input parameters:

- `target` (string, required): IPv4 or IPv6 address, e.g. "104.18.0.1".

### `reverse_ip` (~104 tokens)

"What else is hosted on [IP]" / "other sites on the same server" / "reverse IP lookup" — reverse IP lookup via HackerTarget, listing hostnames known to resolve to one address. Use to spot shared hosting or to find sibling properties of an operator. A CDN address returns many unrelated sites, so co-location is not evidence of common ownership.

Input parameters:

- `target` (string, required): IPv4 address, e.g. "104.18.0.1".

### `as_lookup` (~101 tokens)

"Which ASN owns [IP]" / "what network is this address on" / "who is the upstream provider" — autonomous system lookup via HackerTarget, returning the ASN, the announced prefix and the network's name for an address. Use to attribute an address to a hosting provider, ISP or cloud region.

Input parameters:

- `target` (string, required): IPv4 address or ASN, e.g. "1.1.1.1" or "AS13335".

### `whois` (~209 tokens)

"Who owns [domain]" / "when does [X] expire" / "whois lookup" / "registrar for [site]" — WHOIS record via HackerTarget for a domain or IP: registrar, creation and expiry dates, nameservers, and whatever contact fields the registry still publishes. REQUIRES AN API KEY: HackerTarget gates this endpoint, and the keyless tier answers "error valid key required" (verified 2026-09-16). For keyless WHOIS use ripe_stat_whois.

Input parameters:

- `_apiKey` (string, required): Your HackerTarget API key, from the member dashboard. HackerTarget requires an API key for whois, mtr and traceroute — its free tier refuses those three with "error valid key required". Pipeworx supp…
- `target` (string, required): Domain name or IP address, e.g. "pipeworx.io".

### `http_headers` (~114 tokens)

"What headers does [site] return" / "what server runs [X]" / "check the security headers" / "does [site] redirect" — HTTP response headers fetched by HackerTarget, including status line, Server, redirect Location, and security headers such as HSTS and CSP. Use to fingerprint a stack or audit header hygiene without loading the page yourself.

Input parameters:

- `target` (string, required): Hostname or full URL, e.g. "pipeworx.io" or "https://pipeworx.io/".

### `traceroute` (~196 tokens)

"Traceroute to [host]" / "what route does traffic take to [X]" / "how many hops to [address]" — traceroute via HackerTarget, listing the routers between HackerTarget's probe host and the target. The path is measured from their network, not yours. REQUIRES AN API KEY: HackerTarget gates this endpoint, and the keyless tier answers "error valid key required" (verified 2026-09-16).

Input parameters:

- `_apiKey` (string, required): Your HackerTarget API key, from the member dashboard. HackerTarget requires an API key for whois, mtr and traceroute — its free tier refuses those three with "error valid key required". Pipeworx supp…
- `target` (string, required): Hostname or IP to trace to, e.g. "pipeworx.io".

### `subnet_lookup` (~115 tokens)

"What is the range of [CIDR]" / "how many hosts in a /24" / "network and broadcast address for [X]" / "subnet calculator" — subnet arithmetic via HackerTarget, returning network address, broadcast address, usable host range, netmask and host count for a CIDR block. A pure calculation over the input; it does not probe the network.

Input parameters:

- `target` (string, required): CIDR block or address with prefix, e.g. "192.168.1.0/24".

### `page_links` (~117 tokens)

"What does [page] link to" / "extract every link from [URL]" / "outbound links on a page" — link extraction via HackerTarget, fetching one web page and returning the URLs it links to. Use to map a site section or find outbound references. One page only — it does not crawl, and it returns the links as published, not their fetched status.

Input parameters:

- `target` (string, required): Full URL of the page to read, e.g. "https://pipeworx.io/". Include the scheme.

## Diagnostics

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

## Score history

- 2026-11-05: 84
- 2026-11-04: 84
- 2026-11-03: 84
- 2026-11-02: 57
- 2026-11-01: 81
- 2026-10-31: 81
- 2026-10-30: 81
- 2026-10-29: 81

## Common questions

### What is the Hackertarget MCP server?

Hackertarget is an MCP server listed in the public MCP registry as io.github.pipeworx-io/hackertarget. HackerTarget MCP. This page covers its npm package (@pipeworx/mcp-hackertarget).

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

Hackertarget scores 84 out of 100 on VerifyMCP. We found no known CVEs affecting it as of 5 November 2026. It declares no install or post-install scripts. Its build provenance is signed and verified. 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 Hackertarget MCP server expose?

Hackertarget exposes 14 tools: dns_lookup, reverse_dns, mtr, nping, dns_host_search, and 9 more. Their descriptions and schemas cost roughly 1,804 tokens of context every time the server is loaded.

### Is the Hackertarget MCP server still maintained?

Hackertarget 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 Hackertarget MCP server under?

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

### What did VerifyMCP test on the Hackertarget MCP server?

VerifyMCP ran 16 checks on Hackertarget, covering Malware scan, Known CVEs, Install scripts, Dependency health and 12 more. Endpoint Security and Transport & Reachability do not apply to an npm package, so they were not tested. The score does not measure everything, and the scoring documentation lists what it leaves out.

## Links

- npm package: https://www.npmjs.com/package/@pipeworx/mcp-hackertarget
- Socket report: https://socket.dev/npm/package/@pipeworx/mcp-hackertarget
- Repository: https://github.com/pipeworx-io/mcp-hackertarget
- Website: https://pipeworx.io/packs/hackertarget
- Changelog RSS feed: https://verifymcp.io/servers/pipeworx-io-hackertarget/pipeworx-mcp-hackertarget.xml
- Changelog JSON feed: https://verifymcp.io/servers/pipeworx-io-hackertarget/pipeworx-mcp-hackertarget/changelog.json
- Trust report (JSON): https://verifymcp.io/servers/pipeworx-io-hackertarget/pipeworx-mcp-hackertarget.json
- HTML version of this page: https://verifymcp.io/servers/pipeworx-io-hackertarget/pipeworx-mcp-hackertarget