NMAP

You can empower AI assistants to perform network analysis through NMAP by exposing NMAP’s capabilities via a dedicated MCP server. This server provides a simple, consistent interface for starting scans, retrieving results, and integrating network reconnaissance into conversations with AI copilots.

How to use

To use this MCP server, connect it with your MCP client (for example, Claude Desktop) and start a scan by issuing a scan request from the AI assistant. You can target a host or a network, choose the scan type, and adjust timing and port ranges to fit your needs. The server translates the assistant’s intent into NMAP commands under the hood and returns structured results you can present in the chat.

How to install

Prerequisites: You need a Windows operating system, Node.js (version 18 or higher), and NMAP installed and accessible from the Windows command line.

Install the MCP NMAP Server globally with npm.

npm install -g mcp-nmap-server

Alternatively, install locally in your project.

npm install mcp-nmap-server

If you want to run it as an MCP endpoint locally, the following configuration snippet shows how to expose the server via stdio using Node.js. Save this in your MCP client’s configuration file as the entry for the NMAP server.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "nmap": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": [
        "C:\\Users\\YOUR_USERNAME\\Downloads\\mcp-nmap-server\\dist\\index.js"
      ]
    }
  },
  "globalShortcut": "Ctrl+Q"
}

Configuration and usage notes

The MCP server exposes a stdio-based entry that you can run from your local environment. The example below shows the command and arguments you would use in a Windows setup to start the server via Node.js.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "nmap": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": [
        "C:\\Users\\YOUR_USERNAME\\Downloads\\mcp-nmap-server\\dist\\index.js"
      ]
    }
  },
  "globalShortcut": "Ctrl+Q"
}

Configuration with Claude Desktop

If you use Claude Desktop on Windows, add the NMAP server to your Claude config to enable direct interactions from Claude’s interface.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "nmap": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": [
        "C:\\Users\\YOUR_USERNAME\\Downloads\\mcp-nmap-server\\dist\\index.js"
      ]
    }
  },
  "globalShortcut": "Ctrl+Q"
}

Example tools and endpoints

The MCP server provides a single primary tool for running NMAP scans through AI interactions. The tool is exposed as an endpoint named run_nmap_scan, enabling you to specify the target, optional port ranges, scan type, timing, and additional flags. This integration is designed to keep conversations concise while returning structured results that you can summarize or drill into.

Notes, security, and troubleshooting

Install and run the MCP server in a controlled environment. Verify that NMAP is accessible from the command line and that the Node runtime can launch the server process. If you encounter permission or path issues, ensure the index.js path accurately reflects your local installation and that Node has permission to execute the file.

If you need to stop the server, terminate the Node process or close the MCP client interface that is driving the scans. For issues with scans not returning results, check that the target is reachable and that NMAP can run with the specified privileges on your Windows system.

Available tools

run_nmap_scan

Executes an NMAP scan through the MCP interface. You provide target, optional ports, scan type (quick, full, version), timing template (0-5), and any extra NMAP flags. The tool returns the scan results and status.