Citation Check
REMOTE · EXMACHINA-AI.FLY.DEV · SCANNED SEP 21
Does a cited URL exist, and does the source name what your claim names? Two answers.
Available components
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. How we score → Why this is hard to score →
Endpoint Security74
- The endpoint's TLS certificate is valid, in date, and uses a strong key. View diagnostics → Pass
- No authorisation is required to call this server. Every tool declares its destructiveHint and none is destructive, so open access doesn't expose one. See how to fix → View diagnostics → Partial
- HTTPS is enforced; there's no plaintext access path. View diagnostics → Pass
- HSTS check failed: the Strict-Transport-Security header is absent. See how to fix → View diagnostics → Fail
- DNSSEC check failed: this domain isn't protected by DNSSEC. See how to fix → View diagnostics → Fail
Transport & Reachability100
- Verified streamable-http transport via a live MCP handshake. View diagnostics → Pass
Schema Quality & AI Usability70
- AI-judged instruction clarity (excellent).Pass
- Context-footprint check failed: tool/resource definitions use about 434 tokens (~217/item across 2 items; 2 tools + 0 resources), over budget; trim descriptions and params. See how to fix → Fail
- Usage-examples check failed: none of the tools include examples. See how to fix → Fail
Stability & Change Management100
- No destabilizing schema changes in the last 30 days.Pass
Tool Coverage100
- 100% of tools have a non-trivial description (not blank, and not just the tool's name).Pass
- 100% of tool parameters carry a description.Pass
Tool Safety100
- No prompt-injection markers were found in the server instructions, tool names or descriptions we captured.Pass
- We read all 2 captured tool definition(s), and no name or description among them implies an irreversible operation.Pass
- An AI judge read all 3 captured unit(s) of tool text and found none that tries to manipulate the model reading it.Pass
Capabilities60
- Spec-recency check failed: implements MCP spec 2025-06-18; the latest is 2026-07-28. See how to fix → Fail
How do I install the Citation Check MCP server?
Citation Check is a hosted endpoint at https://exmachina-ai.fly.dev/verify, 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.
remote · exmachina-ai.fly.dev
claude mcp add --transport http secondstageturbine-citation-check 'https://exmachina-ai.fly.dev/verify'
{
"mcpServers": {
"secondstageturbine-citation-check": {
"url": "https://exmachina-ai.fly.dev/verify"
}
}
} {
"servers": {
"secondstageturbine-citation-check": {
"type": "http",
"url": "https://exmachina-ai.fly.dev/verify"
}
}
} [mcp_servers.secondstageturbine-citation-check] url = "https://exmachina-ai.fly.dev/verify"
{
"$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
"mcp": {
"secondstageturbine-citation-check": {
"type": "remote",
"url": "https://exmachina-ai.fly.dev/verify",
"enabled": true
}
}
} openclaw mcp add secondstageturbine-citation-check --url 'https://exmachina-ai.fly.dev/verify' --transport streamable-http
mcp_servers:
secondstageturbine-citation-check:
url: "https://exmachina-ai.fly.dev/verify" {
"McpServers": {
"secondstageturbine-citation-check": {
"Transport": "http",
"Url": "https://exmachina-ai.fly.dev/verify"
}
}
} assistant mcp add secondstageturbine-citation-check -t streamable-http -u 'https://exmachina-ai.fly.dev/verify'
{
"mcpServers": {
"secondstageturbine-citation-check": {
"type": "http",
"url": "https://exmachina-ai.fly.dev/verify"
}
}
} The mcpServers block is a cross-client convention. Remote transports vary, so check your client's docs.
Every change we have recorded for this component, newest first. Security-relevant changes are always shown. ▲ marks a change for the better, ▼ a change for the worse; unmarked changes are neutral.
- 13 Sept 26 +1
- Stability: 0.97 → pass security
- 11 Sept 26 +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.
- 9 Sept 26 +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.
- 7 Sept 26 +1
No change was recorded against any check on this day. Stability & Change Management went from 77 to 80. That category is still filling its 30-day observation window: 23 days of observed history at the previous scan, 24 at this one. The score rises as the window fills, whether or not the server changes.
- 5 Sept 26 +1
No change was recorded against any check on this day. Stability & Change Management went from 70 to 73. That category is still filling its 30-day observation window: 21 days of observed history at the previous scan, 22 at this one. The score rises as the window fills, whether or not the server changes.
- 3 Sept 26 +1
No change was recorded against any check on this day. Stability & Change Management went from 63 to 67. That category is still filling its 30-day observation window: 19 days of observed history at the previous scan, 20 at this one. The score rises as the window fills, whether or not the server changes.
- 31 Aug 26 +1
No change was recorded against any check on this day. Stability & Change Management went from 53 to 57. That category is still filling its 30-day observation window: 16 days of observed history at the previous scan, 17 at this one. The score rises as the window fills, whether or not the server changes.
- 29 Aug 26 +1
No change was recorded against any check on this day. Stability & Change Management went from 47 to 50. That category is still filling its 30-day observation window: 14 days of observed history at the previous scan, 15 at this one. The score rises as the window fills, whether or not the server changes.
Diagnostic detail from the automated scan of this channel: what the scanner observed at each step, so you can see exactly where a check passed or failed. It is informational only and never changes the trust score.
Captured 21 Sept 2026 · Probed https://exmachina-ai.fly.dev/verify
TLS valid
Negotiated TLS 1.3 with TLS_AES_128_GCM_SHA256 .
| Subject | Issuer | Valid from | Valid until | Key | Signature | Serial |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN=*.fly.dev | CN=YE1,O=Let's Encrypt,C=US | 21 Aug 2026 | 19 Nov 2026 | ECDSA 256 | ECDSA-SHA384 | 688c4daf5300c51e0a5c1f6837a3a67a868 |
| SANs: *.fly.dev | ||||||
| CN=YE1,O=Let's Encrypt,C=US (CA) | CN=Root YE,O=ISRG,C=US | 3 Sept 2025 | 2 Sept 2028 | ECDSA 384 | ECDSA-SHA384 | 5ddd70dd31f801c85c186a7a04b80afe |
| CN=Root YE,O=ISRG,C=US (CA) | CN=ISRG Root X2,O=Internet Security Research Group,C=US | 13 May 2026 | 2 Sept 2032 | ECDSA 384 | ECDSA-SHA384 | 872165fc34b6e5fba8add5b3705fb53a |
| CN=ISRG Root X2,O=Internet Security Research Group,C=US (CA) | CN=ISRG Root X1,O=Internet Security Research Group,C=US | 13 May 2026 | 2 Sept 2032 | ECDSA 384 | SHA256-RSA | 6c8f1dc727c7117f7baf853ac980f9cd |
Background: What to check on a remote MCP endpoint →
DNSSEC insecure
Validation of exmachina-ai.fly.dev. — Not signed
| Zone | DS | Keys | Algorithms | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| . | trust_anchor | 20326, 38696 | 8, 8 | Verified |
| dev. | present | 60074 | 8 | Verified |
| fly.dev. | absent | Unsigned (proven) parent-signed NSEC/NSEC3 proves an unsigned delegation |
Authentication No authorisation required
The endpoint answered without asking for a token. Anyone who knows the URL can reach it.
| Result | No authorisation required |
|---|---|
| HTTP status | 200 |
Background: How OAuth 2.1 works in the 2026 MCP spec →
Transports 2 probes
| Transport | URL | Outcome | Status | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| streamable-http | https://exmachina-ai.fly.dev/verify | Verified | 200 | |
| http (plaintext) | http://exmachina-ai.fly.dev/verify | HTTPS enforced | 301 | https://exmachina-ai.fly.dev/verify |
The tools this component advertises to a client, with an estimated token cost for each. Expand a tool to see its parameters and schema. The per-tool counts are indicative and are not scored directly; the schema's total context footprint is one signal in Schema Quality & AI Usability. A tool's description is untrusted text the model reads on every call, which is what makes this list a security surface and not just an inventory: how tool poisoning works →
check_citation Check whether a citation holds up ~139
Fetch a URL and report whether it exists, and whether the source names the same entity as the claim you attach to it. These are two different questions and conflating them is the failure this exists to catch: a URL can return 200 and describe a different gene entirely. No account needed, nothing is stored about you.
| Name | Type | Req | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| claim | string | – | Optional. The text that cites it — the sentence or finding this URL is meant to support. Without it you only learn whether the URL exists, which is the weaker half. |
| url | string | yes | The citation to check. http(s) only; private and loopback addresses are refused. |
No output schema declared.
No examples provided.
verdict_meanings What the verdicts mean, and what they do not ~33
The exact semantics of every status and relevance value, including what this checker cannot determine. Read once before trusting a verdict.
Input schema present but exposes no named parameters.
No output schema declared.
No examples provided.
What is the Citation Check MCP server?
Citation Check is an MCP server listed in the public MCP registry as io.github.SecondStageTurbine/citation-check. Does a cited URL exist, and does the source name what your claim names? Two answers. This page covers its hosted endpoint (https://exmachina-ai.fly.dev/verify).
Is the Citation Check MCP server safe to use?
Citation Check scores 83 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 Citation Check MCP server expose?
Citation Check exposes 2 tools: check_citation, verdict_meanings. Their descriptions and schemas cost roughly 172 tokens of context every time the server is loaded.
Does the Citation Check MCP server require authentication?
No. We connected to Citation Check without credentials and it answered, so anything it exposes is reachable by anyone who knows the address.
Is the Citation Check MCP server still maintained?
Citation Check 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.