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Arnabdaz

CVE Search MCP Server

by Arnabdaz
README.md
# CVE Search MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for CVE and vulnerability searching, optimized for PR review scenarios. Helps developers and security teams identify the latest CVEs and vulnerabilities — including those that postdate an LLM's training data.

## Features

- **8 tools** covering CVE lookup, bulk scanning, keyword search, product search, recent CVEs, high-severity alerts, database stats, and detailed CVSS breakdowns
- **Multi-source**: NVD, GitHub Advisory, OSV, CIRCL — searched concurrently and deduplicated
- **Smart normalization**: "Node.js", "Spring Boot", "log4j2" all resolve correctly
- **Optional auth**: `GITHUB_TOKEN` and `NVD_API_KEY` for higher rate limits
- **3 transports**: stdio (default), SSE, Streamable HTTP

## Installation

### Prerequisites

- Python 3.10+
- [uv](https://github.com/astral-sh/uv) package manager

### Install

```bash
cd cve-search
uv sync
```

### Development Setup

```bash
uv sync --extra dev
uv run --extra dev pytest
uv run black src/
uv run ruff check src/
```

## Configuration

| Env Var | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| `GITHUB_TOKEN` | none | GitHub personal access token. Raises GitHub Advisory API rate limit from 60 to 5000 req/hr. |
| `NVD_API_KEY` | none | NVD API key. Raises rate limit from 5 to 50 req/30s. Get one at [nvd.nist.gov](https://nvd.nist.gov/developers/request-an-api-key). |
| `CVE_SEARCH_TIMEOUT` | `20` | HTTP request timeout in seconds. |
| `CVE_SEARCH_MAX_RESULTS` | `100` | Maximum results returned per tool call. |

## Running

```bash
# stdio (default — for Claude Desktop/IDE)
uv run python main.py

# SSE
uv run python main.py --transport sse --host 127.0.0.1 --port 8000

# Streamable HTTP (MCP spec 2025-06-18+)
uv run python main.py --transport streamable-http --host 127.0.0.1 --port 8000
```

### Claude Desktop Config

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "cve-search": {
      "command": "uv",
      "args": ["--directory", "/path/to/cve-search", "run", "python", "main.py"],
      "env": {
        "GITHUB_TOKEN": "your-token-here",
        "NVD_API_KEY": "your-key-here"
      }
    }
  }
}
```

## Tools

| Tool | Description | Speed |
|---|---|---|
| `search_cve_by_id` | Look up a specific CVE by ID (e.g. CVE-2021-44228) | Fast |
| `bulk_cve_lookup` | Look up up to 20 CVE IDs in one call — ideal for scanning PR dependency lists | Fast |
| `search_vulnerabilities_by_product` | Search by vendor/product name (e.g. vendor="apache", product="struts") | Slow (10-15s) |
| `get_recent_cves` | Get CVEs from the last N days | Fast |
| `check_high_severity_cves` | Get CVSS ≥ 7.0 CVEs from the last N days | Fast |
| `search_by_keyword` | Smart multi-source keyword search (NVD + GitHub Advisory + OSV) | Fast |
| `get_vulnerability_stats` | Database stats: total CVE count, last updated timestamp | Fast |
| `cvss_score_lookup` | Detailed CVSS v3/v4 breakdown for a CVE (base score, vector string, per-metric) | Fast |

## PR Review Workflow

### Scan a list of CVE IDs from a dependency audit

```
bulk_cve_lookup(["CVE-2021-44228", "CVE-2023-44487", "CVE-2024-12345"])
```

### Search for vulnerabilities in a technology being introduced

```
search_by_keyword("spring boot")
```

### Check high-severity CVEs published this week

```
check_high_severity_cves(7)
```

### Get detailed CVSS breakdown for a flagged CVE

```
cvss_score_lookup("CVE-2021-44228")
```

## Project Structure

```
cve-search/
├── src/mcp_server_cve_search/
│   ├── config.py            # Config from env vars
│   ├── server.py            # FastMCP app + transport dispatch
│   ├── tools/               # One module per tool group
│   │   ├── cve_lookup.py    # search_cve_by_id, bulk_cve_lookup
│   │   ├── product_search.py
│   │   ├── recent_cves.py   # get_recent_cves, check_high_severity_cves
│   │   ├── keyword_search.py
│   │   ├── stats.py         # get_vulnerability_stats
│   │   └── cvss.py          # cvss_score_lookup
│   ├── sources/             # One client per API
│   │   ├── circl.py         # CIRCL CVE Search
│   │   ├── nvd.py           # NVD/NIST (optional API key)
│   │   ├── github.py        # GitHub Advisory (optional token)
│   │   └── osv.py           # OSV (Google)
│   └── utils/
│       ├── severity.py      # CVSS score helpers
│       ├── normalization.py # Keyword normalization + tech mappings
│       └── formatting.py    # Summary/alert formatting
├── tests/
├── examples/
├── main.py
├── test_server.py           # Manual live-API integration test
└── pyproject.toml
```

## Data Sources

| Source | URL | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| CIRCL CVE Search | cve.circl.lu | Primary source; no auth required |
| NVD (NIST) | nvd.nist.gov | Richest CVSS data; optional API key |
| GitHub Advisory | github.com/advisories | Optional token for higher rate limits |
| OSV (Google) | osv.dev | Open source vulnerability database |

## License

MIT License

TDQS

A4/5.0

Scored across 8 tools

Disambiguation4/5

Tools have mostly distinct purposes, but get_recent_cves and check_high_severity_cves both retrieve recent CVEs, differing only by severity filter. Bulk vs single CVE lookup also overlap slightly. Descriptions help disambiguate.

Naming Consistency5/5

All tool names follow a consistent verb_noun pattern with underscores and are descriptive, e.g., search_by_keyword, get_recent_cves. No mixing of conventions.

Tool Count5/5

8 tools is well-scoped for a CVE search server, covering various lookup methods and utility functions without being excessive.

Completeness4/5

Covers key CVE lookup methods (by ID, keyword, product, date range, severity) and stats. Missing advanced features like subscription or CVE creation, but core search is complete.

Maintenance

ActivityInactive
ResponsivenessNo issues