# Photon (npm · @pipeworx/mcp-photon)

Photon MCP — OSM geocoder

- Trust score: 79/100 (medium)
- Registry status: active
- Liveness: live
- Owner verified: no
- Last scored: 2026-11-05

## Components

- remote · `gateway.pipeworx.io`: 77/100, [markdown](https://verifymcp.io/servers/pipeworx-io-photon/photon-mcp.md), [page](https://verifymcp.io/servers/pipeworx-io-photon/photon-mcp)
- npm · `@pipeworx/mcp-photon`: 79/100 (this document), [markdown](https://verifymcp.io/servers/pipeworx-io-photon/pipeworx-mcp-photon.md), [page](https://verifymcp.io/servers/pipeworx-io-photon/pipeworx-mcp-photon)

## Channel facts

- Registry: `npm`
- Package: `@pipeworx/mcp-photon`
- 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-photon).
  - Clear OSI-approved license (MIT).
  - Actively maintained (last published 1 days ago).
  - Disclosure check failed: no security disclosure policy was found in the source repository.
- **Schema Quality & AI Usability**: 69/100
  - AI-judged instruction clarity (good).
  - Context-footprint check failed: tool/resource definitions use about 307 tokens (~153/item across 2 items; 2 tools + 0 resources), over budget; trim descriptions and params.
  - Usage-examples check failed: none of the tools include examples.
- **Stability & Change Management**: 3/100
  - Stability observed for 1 of 30 days with no destabilising changes; credit accrues until the full window elapses.
- **Tool Coverage**: 90/100
  - 100% of tools have a non-trivial description (not blank, and not just the tool's name).
  - 69% 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 2 captured tool definition(s), and no name or description among them implies an irreversible operation.
  - An AI judge read all 3 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 Photon MCP server?

Photon runs locally as an npm package, launched with npx -y @pipeworx/mcp-photon. 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-photon -- npx -y @pipeworx/mcp-photon
```

### Cursor

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

### VS Code

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

### Codex

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

### opencode

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

### OpenClaw

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

### Hermes

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

### Netclaw

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

### Vellum

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

### Other

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

## 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.

### 2026-11-05 (score 79, 0)

- [functional improvement] Stability: unverified → 0.03

### 2026-11-04 (score 79)

First indexed and scored.

## MCP tools (2)

### `search` (~189 tokens)

Forward geocode — place name → coordinates. Strong on partial / autocomplete-style queries.

Input parameters:

- `bbox` (string): Bounding box: "min_lon,min_lat,max_lon,max_lat"
- `lang` (string): Language for the response (en, de, fr, ...)
- `lat` (number): Latitude bias center
- `layer` (string): house | street | locality | city | district | county | state | country
- `limit` (number): 1-50 (default 5)
- `location_bias_scale` (number): Strength of lat/lon bias (default 0.2)
- `lon` (number): Longitude bias center
- `osm_tag` (string): OSM tag filter (e.g. "amenity:pharmacy")
- `query` (string, required): Free-text place name / address
- `zoom` (number): Zoom level for bias (0-18)

### `reverse` (~67 tokens)

Reverse geocode — coordinates → nearest place name.

Input parameters:

- `lang` (string)
- `lat` (number, required)
- `layer` (string)
- `limit` (number)
- `lon` (number, required)
- `radius` (number): Search radius in km (default 1)

## Diagnostics

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

## Score history

- 2026-11-05: 79
- 2026-11-04: 79

## Common questions

### What is the Photon MCP server?

Photon is an MCP server listed in the public MCP registry as io.github.pipeworx-io/photon. Photon MCP, OSM geocoder. This page covers its npm package (@pipeworx/mcp-photon).

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

Photon scores 79 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 Photon MCP server expose?

Photon exposes 2 tools: search, reverse. Their descriptions and schemas cost roughly 256 tokens of context every time the server is loaded.

### Is the Photon MCP server still maintained?

Photon 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 Photon MCP server under?

Photon 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

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