Mind the Gates — UK level crossings
REMOTE · MINDTHEGATES.UK · SCANNED SEP 22
Live barrier status and closure forecasts for ~1,600 UK level crossings. Public data, no auth.
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 Security66
- The endpoint's TLS certificate is valid, in date, and uses a strong key. View diagnostics → Pass
- Authorisation not fully verified: no authorisation is required to call this server, and 4 tool(s) never declared a destructiveHint. The MCP spec treats an absent hint as destructive by default, so we cannot call this surface safe. See how to fix → View diagnostics → Unverified
- HTTPS is enforced; there's no plaintext access path. View diagnostics → Pass
- The HSTS (Strict-Transport-Security) header is present. View diagnostics → Pass
- DNSSEC is configured correctly; the domain's records validate against the full chain to the root. View diagnostics → Pass
Transport & Reachability100
- Verified streamable-http transport via a live MCP handshake. View diagnostics → Pass
Schema Quality & AI Usability73
- AI-judged instruction clarity (excellent).Pass
- Context-footprint check failed: tool/resource definitions use about 634 tokens (~158/item across 4 items; 4 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 4 captured tool definition(s), and no name or description among them implies an irreversible operation.Pass
- An AI judge read all 5 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 Mind the Gates — UK level crossings MCP server?
Mind the Gates — UK level crossings is a hosted endpoint at https://mindthegates.uk/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.
remote · mindthegates.uk
claude mcp add --transport http uk-mindthegates-crossings 'https://mindthegates.uk/mcp'
{
"mcpServers": {
"uk-mindthegates-crossings": {
"url": "https://mindthegates.uk/mcp"
}
}
} {
"servers": {
"uk-mindthegates-crossings": {
"type": "http",
"url": "https://mindthegates.uk/mcp"
}
}
} [mcp_servers.uk-mindthegates-crossings] url = "https://mindthegates.uk/mcp"
{
"$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
"mcp": {
"uk-mindthegates-crossings": {
"type": "remote",
"url": "https://mindthegates.uk/mcp",
"enabled": true
}
}
} openclaw mcp add uk-mindthegates-crossings --url 'https://mindthegates.uk/mcp' --transport streamable-http
mcp_servers:
uk-mindthegates-crossings:
url: "https://mindthegates.uk/mcp" {
"McpServers": {
"uk-mindthegates-crossings": {
"Transport": "http",
"Url": "https://mindthegates.uk/mcp"
}
}
} assistant mcp add uk-mindthegates-crossings -t streamable-http -u 'https://mindthegates.uk/mcp'
{
"mcpServers": {
"uk-mindthegates-crossings": {
"type": "http",
"url": "https://mindthegates.uk/mcp"
}
}
} 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.
- 26 Aug 26 +1
- We updated how we score, so this day's move reflects our rubric, not a change to the server See what changed → functional
- 25 Aug 26 0
- Stability: 0.97 → pass security
- 13 Aug 26 0
- The server rewrote its instructions, which are the text every model session reads security
- 11 Aug 26 0
- We updated how we score, so this day's move reflects our rubric, not a change to the server See what changed → functional
- 31 Jul 26 0
- We updated how we score, so this day's move reflects our rubric, not a change to the server See what changed → functional
- 30 Jul 26 0
- We updated how we score, so this day's move reflects our rubric, not a change to the server See what changed → functional
- 29 Jul 26 0
- HSTS header: fail → pass ▲ security
- 27 Jul 26 0
- We updated how we score, so this day's move reflects our rubric, not a change to the server See what changed → functional
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 22 Sept 2026 · Probed https://mindthegates.uk/mcp
TLS valid
Negotiated TLS 1.3 with TLS_AES_128_GCM_SHA256 .
| Subject | Issuer | Valid from | Valid until | Key | Signature | Serial |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN=mindthegates.uk | CN=YE1,O=Let's Encrypt,C=US | 21 Sept 2026 | 20 Dec 2026 | ECDSA 256 | ECDSA-SHA384 | 62194ad53ce01ff2b9491984c2df68b923c |
| SANs: *.mindthegates.uk, mindthegates.uk | ||||||
| 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 secure
Validation of mindthegates.uk. — Secure
| Zone | DS | Keys | Algorithms | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| . | trust_anchor | 20326, 38696 | 8, 8 | Verified |
| uk. | present | 43876 | 8 | Verified |
| mindthegates.uk. | present | 2371 | 13 | Verified |
| mindthegates.uk. | Verified address RRset verified with the apex keys |
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 |
| Header | Value |
|---|---|
| strict-transport-security | max-age=31536000; includeSubDomains |
| x-content-type-options | nosniff |
| x-frame-options | SAMEORIGIN |
| referrer-policy | strict-origin-when-cross-origin |
Background: How OAuth 2.1 works in the 2026 MCP spec →
Transports 2 probes
| Transport | URL | Outcome | Status | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| streamable-http | https://mindthegates.uk/mcp | Verified | 200 | |
| http (plaintext) | http://mindthegates.uk/mcp | HTTPS enforced | 301 | https://mindthegates.uk/mcp |
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 →
busiest_today Busiest crossings today ~115
The ten UK level crossings with the most predicted road-closed time today. Takes no arguments. Each line gives the rank, crossing name, predicted minutes closed across the whole day, and a status URL ending .md. The ranking is computed from today's timetable once per day, shortly after UK midnight, and the build timestamp is included in the reply — it is a whole-day total, not a live reading, so use crossing_status for what a barrier is doing now. Briefly unavailable right after a restart while the first build runs.
Input schema present but exposes no named parameters.
No output schema declared.
No examples provided.
crossing_status Live crossing status ~129
Live barrier status, the next-30-minute closure timeline and approaching trains for ONE crossing, as markdown. Forecasts are rebuilt per request from the live train feeds, so the answer changes minute to minute. Informational only — never a substitute for the signals and barriers at the crossing itself. An ambiguous name returns the candidate URL words to choose between; an unknown one asks you to call list_crossings first.
| Name | Type | Req | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| crossing | string | yes | The crossing's URL word as returned by list_crossings (e.g. 'thatcham'), or its name — spaces are accepted and hyphenated internally. |
No output schema declared.
No examples provided.
crossings_near Crossings near a point ~174
Nearest listed level crossings to a point, closest first. Returns one line per crossing — distance in MILES, then name, type, region and a status URL ending .md. Distance is straight-line (great circle) between the point and the crossing, NOT distance by road or along the railway: it answers 'which crossings are near this place', not 'which will this train reach next'.
| Name | Type | Req | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| lat | number | yes | Latitude in WGS84 decimal degrees, e.g. 51.3958. Positive is north. |
| limit | integer | – | How many crossings to return, nearest first; clamped to 1-25. |
| lon | number | yes | Longitude in WGS84 decimal degrees, e.g. -1.2637. NEGATIVE is west, which is most of Great Britain. |
No output schema declared.
No examples provided.
list_crossings Search level crossings ~152
Search UK level crossings by name, URL word or region name (substring, case-insensitive). Returns one line per match — name, crossing type, region, and a status URL ending .md that returns that crossing's live markdown status. Reports the total match count and returns the first `limit`; there is no pagination, so narrow the query to see different matches. Names starting with the query sort first.
| Name | Type | Req | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| limit | integer | – | Maximum matches to return; clamped to 1-50. The total match count is reported regardless. |
| query | string | yes | Substring of a crossing name, its URL word, or a region name, e.g. 'thatcham' or 'kent'. |
No output schema declared.
No examples provided.
What is the Mind the Gates — UK level crossings MCP server?
Mind the Gates — UK level crossings is an MCP server listed in the public MCP registry as uk.mindthegates/crossings. Live barrier status and closure forecasts for ~1,600 UK level crossings. Public data, no auth. This page covers its hosted endpoint (https://mindthegates.uk/mcp).
Is the Mind the Gates — UK level crossings MCP server safe to use?
Mind the Gates — UK level crossings scores 80 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 Mind the Gates — UK level crossings MCP server expose?
Mind the Gates — UK level crossings exposes 4 tools: list_crossings, crossing_status, crossings_near, busiest_today. Their descriptions and schemas cost roughly 570 tokens of context every time the server is loaded.
Does the Mind the Gates — UK level crossings MCP server require authentication?
No. We connected to Mind the Gates — UK level crossings without credentials and it answered, so anything it exposes is reachable by anyone who knows the address.
Is the Mind the Gates — UK level crossings MCP server still maintained?
Mind the Gates — UK level crossings is still listed as active in the MCP registry. We last reached this channel on 22 September 2026. Those dates come from our own scans of the registry and the channel itself, not from anything the publisher announced.