Grype MCP Server
Officialby anchore
README.md
# Grype MCP Server
[](https://pypi.org/project/grype-mcp/)
[](https://pypi.org/project/grype-mcp/)
[](https://opensource.org/licenses/Apache-2.0)
**Anchore MCP server for Grype vulnerability scanner**
Integrate [Grype](https://github.com/anchore/grype) vulnerability scanning directly into AI-assisted development workflows through the Model Context Protocol (MCP).
## 🚀 Quick Start
### Installation
Install using uvx (recommended):
```bash
uvx grype-mcp
```
Or using pipx:
```bash
pipx install grype-mcp
```
Or using pip:
```bash
pip install grype-mcp
```
### MCP Client Setup
#### Claude Desktop
Add to your Claude Desktop configuration:
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"grype": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": ["grype-mcp"]
}
}
}
```
#### Other MCP Clients
For other MCP-compatible clients, add the server using:
- Command: `uvx`
- Args: `["grype-mcp"]`
Start using Grype's vulnerability scanning capabilities!
## 🛠️ Available Tools
The Grype MCP server provides these tools for AI assistants:
### System Management
- **`find_grype`** - Check if Grype is installed and get version info
- **`update_grype`** - Install or update Grype to the latest version
- **`get_db_info`** - Get vulnerability database status and version info
- **`update_db`** - Update the vulnerability database
### Vulnerability Scanning
- **`scan_dir`** - Scan project directories for vulnerabilities
- **`scan_purl`** - Scan specific packages using PURL format (e.g., `pkg:npm/lodash@4.17.20`)
- **`scan_image`** - Scan container images for vulnerabilities
### Vulnerability Research
- **`search_vulns`** - Search the vulnerability database by CVE, package name, or CPE
- **`get_vuln_details`** - Get detailed information about specific CVEs
## 💡 Example Usage
Once configured, you can ask:
- *"Check if Grype is installed and up to date"*
- *"Scan my project directory for vulnerabilities"*
- *"Is pkg:npm/lodash@4.17.20 vulnerable?"*
- *"Scan the nginx:latest Docker image"*
- *"Search for Log4j vulnerabilities"*
- *"Get details about CVE-2021-44228"*
## 🔧 Requirements
- **Python 3.10+**
- **Grype** (can be installed via the `update_grype` tool)
- **Docker** (optional, for container image scanning)
The MCP server can help install Grype if it's not already available using the `update_grype` tool.
## 📋 Supported Scanning Targets
- **Directories** - Scan entire projects with all their dependencies
- **Container Images** - Docker images from any registry
- **Package URLs** - Individual packages in PURL format
- npm: `pkg:npm/package@version`
- Python: `pkg:pypi/package@version`
- Go: `pkg:golang/package@version`
- Java: `pkg:maven/group/artifact@version`
- And many more ecosystems
## 🏗️ Architecture
The MCP server acts as a bridge between AI assistants and Grype:
```
AI Assistant ↔ MCP Server ↔ Grype CLI ↔ Vulnerability Database
```
- **Zero modifications** to Grype required
- **Structured JSON responses** optimized for AI consumption
- **Comprehensive error handling** with helpful messages
- **Automatic tool management** for easy setup
## 🤝 Contributing
We welcome contributions! Please see:
- [CONTRIBUTING.md](CONTRIBUTING.md) - Contribution guidelines
- [DEVELOPING.md](DEVELOPING.md) - Development setup
- [CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md](CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md) - Community standards
## 📄 License
Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0. See [LICENSE](LICENSE) for details.
## 🔗 Related Projects
- [Grype](https://github.com/anchore/grype) - Vulnerability scanner for container images and filesystems
- [Syft](https://github.com/anchore/syft) - SBOM generation tool
- [Model Context Protocol](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/) - Open protocol for AI assistant integrations
- [Anchore Enterprise](https://anchore.com/platform) - Commercial SBOM-powered security platform
## 📞 Support
- [GitHub Issues](https://github.com/anchore/grype-mcp/issues) - Bug reports and feature requests
- [Anchore Community Discourse](https://anchore.com/discourse/) - Community support and discussions
- [Documentation](https://github.com/anchore/grype-mcp#readme) - Full documentation
---
**Made with ❤️ by the Anchore team for the AI-assisted development community**TDQS
A3.7/5.0
Scored across 9 tools
Disambiguation5/5
Each tool has a clearly distinct purpose: installation check, DB info, vulnerability details, three scan types (directory, image, PURL), search, and two update operations. No overlap.
Naming Consistency5/5
All tool names follow a consistent verb_noun pattern in snake_case (e.g., find_grype, scan_dir, update_db), making them predictable and easy to use.
Tool Count5/5
9 tools is well-scoped for a vulnerability scanning server: covering installation, scanning, searching, and updates without unnecessary bloat or missing essentials.
Completeness4/5
Covers core workflows: installation check, DB info, scanning (directory, image, PURL), vulnerability details, search, and updates. Minor gaps like returning raw scan results or listing installed packages, but not critical.