Does it need an API key?

No. The 45 public-diagnostic tools work with no signup — the server probes clean with an empty environment. The optional `INTODNS_*` variables only configure timeouts and HTTP-transport binding.

Can it fix what it finds?

It generates the record — `generate_spf`, `generate_dmarc`, `generate_dns_fix` return copy-pasteable text — but it cannot write to a zone. Pair it with Cloudflare, Porkbun or Hostinger for the write half.

Why not just re-read the record I set?

Because one resolver's cached answer is not propagation. `check_dns_propagation` queries nine resolvers and shows the disagreement, which is the failure mode an agent verifying its own change reliably misses.

IntoDNS

Name: Top MCPs — curated MCP directory
Creator: Top MCPs
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Diagnose a domain before and after you change it — DNS, DNSSEC, SPF, DKIM, DMARC, TLS — with no API key.

Score 66(?)IntoDNS.aiMIT 2Verified Sep 17, 2026Top MCPs for Domains →

Install View on GitHub

Quick answer

What it does

Read-only diagnostics plus record generators: `scan_domain` (graded A+ to F), `lookup_dns`, `check_dns_propagation` across nine resolvers, `validate_dnssec`, `check_spf` / `flatten_spf`, `discover_dkim`, `check_dmarc`, `check_smtp_tls`, `whois_lookup`, and `generate_spf` / `generate_dmarc` / `generate_dns_fix` which return copy-pasteable records.

Best for

Verifying a DNS change actually propagated
SPF / DKIM / DMARC audits before a sending migration
DNSSEC chain validation
Generating a correct SPF or DMARC record

Not for

Editing DNS (it writes nothing)
Bulk portfolio monitoring on a schedule

Source: top-mcps.com/mcp/intodns — verified Sep 2026

Setup recipe

Pick your client, then follow the three steps.

Install

claude_desktop_config.jsonjson

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "intodns": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "intodns-mcp@latest"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Paste under mcpServers. Fully quit and reopen Claude after editing.

CLI or .mcp.jsonshell

claude mcp add intodns -- npx -y intodns-mcp@latest

Run from your repo. Commit .mcp.json to share with your team.

.cursor/mcp.jsonjson

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "intodns": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "intodns-mcp@latest"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Global path: ~/.cursor/mcp.json. Reload window after editing.

.vscode/mcp.jsonjsonc

{
  "servers": {
    "intodns": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "intodns-mcp@latest"
      ]
    }
  }
}

VS Code uses the "servers" key (not "mcpServers").

~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.jsonjson

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "intodns": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "intodns-mcp@latest"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Open via Cascade → hammer icon → Configure.

cline_mcp_settings.jsonjson

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "intodns": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "intodns-mcp@latest"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Open via the Cline sidebar → MCP Servers → Edit.

~/.continue/config.jsonjson

{
  "experimental": {
    "modelContextProtocolServers": [
      {
        "transport": {
          "type": "stdio",
          "command": "npx",
          "args": [
            "-y",
            "intodns-mcp@latest"
          ]
        }
      }
    ]
  }
}

Continue uses modelContextProtocolServers with a transport block.

~/.codex/config.tomlshell

# ~/.codex/config.toml
[mcp_servers.intodns]
command = "npx"
args = [
  "-y",
  "intodns-mcp@latest",
]

Codex uses TOML. Each server is a [mcp_servers.<name>] subtable.

~/.config/zed/settings.jsonjsonc

{
  "context_servers": {
    "intodns": {
      "command": {
        "path": "npx",
        "args": [
          "-y",
          "intodns-mcp@latest"
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}

Zed calls them "context_servers". Settings live-reload on save.

ChatGPT → Settings → Connectors (remote URL)json

{
  "name": "IntoDNS",
  "transport": "http",
  "url": "https://intodns.ai/api/mcp"
}

Paste this into Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector. Requires ChatGPT Pro / Team / Enterprise / Edu with Developer mode enabled. ChatGPT supports remote HTTPS MCP servers only — stdio servers must be hosted on a public HTTPS endpoint first.

2
Set required secrets
No credentials required — this MCP runs over stdio without authentication.
3
Try a minimum working prompt
Minimum working prompt pending verification. Try any prompt from the MCP’s README once installed.

Tools & permissions

Showing 12 of 45 tools the server reported. The rest are real, just not listed here.

Tool	Description	Args	Side effects
`scan_domain`	Fast DNS and email-security scan returning a letter grade and structured issues.	—	Network
`lookup_dns`	DNS record lookup over DNS-over-HTTPS for one or many record types.	—	Network
`check_dns_propagation`	Compare answers across nine resolvers to detect propagation lag.	—	Network
`validate_dnssec`	Walk the DS/DNSKEY chain from root and check signatures and algorithm strength.	—	Network
`check_spf`	Parse SPF recursively and count the include/redirect lookup budget.	—	Network
`flatten_spf`	Resolve an SPF graph to literal ip4/ip6 addresses.	—	Network
`discover_dkim`	Probe common DKIM selectors and report which resolve.	—	Network
`check_dmarc`	Fetch and parse the _dmarc TXT record and rate policy strength.	—	Network
`check_smtp_tls`	Open TCP 25 on every MX, run EHLO + STARTTLS, and validate the certificate.	—	Network
`whois_lookup`	WHOIS/RDAP lookup returning registrar, EPP status codes and nameservers.	—	Network
`generate_dns_fix`	Return a copy-pasteable record that fixes one named issue.	—	Read
`generate_dmarc`	Build a DMARC record from a chosen policy and reporting addresses.	—	Read

Security & scope

Access scope: Read-only
Sandbox: Diagnostics only — no tool writes to a zone or a registrar account.
Gotchas: Every tool sends the domain you ask about to the public intodns.ai API. Do not scan hostnames you consider confidential.
`check_smtp_tls` opens real TCP connections to the target's MX hosts. On a domain you do not own, that is an unsolicited connection.
The free public API is rate-limited; a bulk loop over a portfolio will be throttled.

Agent prompt pack

— copy into Claude, Cursor, or ChatGPT.

Paste into Claude, Cursor, or ChatGPT. Edit the [brackets] before sending.

Recommend the best MCP servers for [task: e.g. domains work] in [client: Claude].

Constraints:
- Prefer tools that are [official | open-source | read-only] — pick what matters for my use case.
- Exclude MCPs that require [e.g. a paid plan, OAuth-only flows, remote-only transport].
- Return at most 3 picks, ranked.

For each pick include:
1. One-sentence rationale.
2. The ready-to-paste install snippet for my client.
3. Any required secrets I need to create before installing.

Cross-check the top-mcps.com listing: https://top-mcps.com/top-mcps-for-domains

Compare IntoDNS against a real alternative. Swap the second MCP in [brackets] if you want a different match.

Compare IntoDNS MCP vs [Cloudflare MCP] for the following job: [describe the job, e.g. "let an agent create GitHub issues on bug triage"].

Judge them on:
- Setup time and complexity (what a new user hits first).
- Auth model (none / API key / OAuth 2.1) and credential risk.
- Transport (stdio / Streamable HTTP / SSE) and where the server runs.
- Required secrets and the blast radius if they leak.
- Operational risk in an unattended agent loop.
- Which one is "good enough" for a weekend prototype vs. production.

End with one sentence: which should I pick for my scenario, which is: [my scenario].

References:
- https://top-mcps.com/mcp/intodns
- top-mcps.com listing for Cloudflare

Asks the agent to install and verify. Works inside Claude Code, Cursor Agent, Codex CLI.

Install the IntoDNS MCP server for my [client: Claude] at the default config path for that client.

Use the exact install snippet published at https://top-mcps.com/mcp/intodns (fetch https://top-mcps.com/mcp/intodns.json for the canonical server.json if you can read URLs).

Before finishing:
1. Create the required secrets (no secrets) and put them in the appropriate env block — do not hard-code them.
2. Restart or reload the client so it picks up the new server.
3. Verify the server is connected (green / running state) and at least one tool is listed.
4. If anything fails, read the client's MCP logs and report the exact error — do not silently retry.

Confirm when done and list the tools the server now exposes.

Frequently asked questions

What changed

— 1 update tracked.

Sep 17, 2026
Refreshed install snippets and fact sheet; verified for 2026.

At a glance

Maintainer: IntoDNS.ai
Transport: stdioStreamable HTTP
Auth model: None
Required secrets: None
Supported clients: ChatGPT
Claude Desktop
Claude Code
Cursor
VS Code
Windsurf
Cline
Continue
Zed
Codex CLI
License: MIT
Language: TypeScript
Latest version: latest
Last verified: Sep 17, 2026

GitHub repo Official website

Rank badge

Maintainer of IntoDNS? Embed the live badge — it re-renders with the current rank and score on every catalog refresh.

[![Ranked #4 in Domains on Top-MCPs](https://top-mcps.com/badge/intodns.svg)](https://top-mcps.com/mcp/intodns)

Alternatives

Cloudflare →
Reach the whole Cloudflare API from an agent — DNS records, Workers, R2, and the Registrar beta — through one hosted Code Mode server.
Porkbun →
At-cost registration and full DNS control from an agent — read-only until you explicitly turn writes on.
Hostinger →
Buy a domain, provision hosting, deploy a site, and set its DNS — one official server covering the whole chain, now through three search-and-execute tools.

Related guides

More Domains MCPs

Other tools in the same category worth evaluating.

Cloudflare

Official

Reach the whole Cloudflare API from an agent — DNS records, Workers, R2, and the Registrar beta — through one hosted Code Mode server.

cloudflareedgeworkersdns

5 minMedium

Name.com

Official

name-comdomainsregistrardns

5 minLow

Porkbun

At-cost registration and full DNS control from an agent — read-only until you explicitly turn writes on.

porkbundomainsregistrardns