Hound Mcp

@tiluckdave

About Hound Mcp

The dependency bloodhound for AI coding agents.

Config

Add this server to your MCP-compatible client using the configuration below.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "hound": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "hound-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Tools

List all known vulnerabilities for a specific package version, grouped by severity with fix versions and advisory links.

Get a comprehensive profile of a package version: licenses, vulnerabilities, OpenSSF scorecard, GitHub stats, and dependency count — all in one call.

Show the full resolved dependency tree for a package version, including all transitive dependencies with their depth and relation type.

Check if a package name looks like a typosquat of a popular package. Generates likely typo variants and checks which ones exist in the registry.

Get full details for a security advisory by ID (GHSA, CVE, or OSV ID). Returns title, severity, affected versions, fix versions, and references.

Scan a list of popular (or user-specified) packages for known vulnerabilities. Quickly surface which widely-used packages in an ecosystem have open security issues.

Scan a project's lockfile for dependency risks. Parses package-lock.json, yarn.lock, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, Cargo.lock, go.sum, Gemfile.lock, pubspec.lock, or Pipfile.lock and batch-queries OSV for vulnerabilities across all dependencies.

Side-by-side comparison of two packages: vulnerabilities, OpenSSF Scorecard, GitHub stars, release recency, and license. Returns a recommendation.

Scan a lockfile for license compliance. Resolves licenses for every dependency and flags packages that violate the chosen policy (permissive, copyleft, or none).

Safety check before installing a package. Checks known vulnerabilities, typosquatting risk, abandonment, and license concerns. Returns a go/no-go verdict.

Compute a 0-100 Hound Score for a package version combining vulnerability severity, OpenSSF Scorecard, release recency, and license risk. Returns a letter grade (A-F) with a breakdown.

Find the minimum version upgrade that resolves all known vulnerabilities for a package. Checks every published version and returns the nearest safe one.

Overview

What is Hound MCP?

Hound MCP is a dependency security scanner built specifically for AI coding agents. It checks for vulnerabilities, licenses, typosquatting, and audits dependency trees across seven ecosystems (npm, PyPI, Go, Cargo, Maven, NuGet, RubyGems) using free, unauthenticated public APIs (deps.dev and OSV). It requires zero configuration, zero API keys, and zero cost.

How to use Hound MCP?

Install and configure Hound MCP as a stdio MCP server. For Claude Code, run claude mcp add hound -- npx -y hound-mcp. For Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, or VS Code (Copilot), add a JSON entry to the respective MCP config file pointing to npx -y hound-mcp. After setup, invoke its 12 tools (e.g., hound_audit, hound_preinstall) or its 3 built-in prompts (security_audit, package_evaluation, pre_release_check) directly from your AI client.

Key features of Hound MCP

Scans lockfiles for vulnerabilities across all dependencies
Provides 0–100 Hound Score with letter grade
Side-by-side comparison of two packages with recommendation
Pre-installation verdict: GO, CAUTION, or NO-GO
Finds minimum safe version upgrade that resolves known vulns
Detects typosquatting variants of a package name
Supports npm, PyPI, Go, Maven, Cargo, NuGet, RubyGems

Use cases of Hound MCP

Scanning a lockfile diff before merging a PR to catch new vulnerabilities
Auditing an inherited codebase with hound_audit for a full report
Checking a package before adding it using hound_preinstall for a verdict
Running hound_license_check to ensure no GPL/AGPL packages in a commercial project
Using a security audit as part of every release check in CI

FAQ from Hound MCP

How does Hound MCP work without API keys or accounts?

It uses two fully free, unauthenticated public APIs: deps.dev (Google Open Source Insights) and OSV (Google Open Source Vulnerabilities).

What ecosystems does Hound MCP support?

npm, PyPI, Go, Cargo, Maven, NuGet, and RubyGems.

How do I install and configure Hound MCP?

Use npx -y hound-mcp as the command in your MCP config file, or for Claude Code run claude mcp add hound -- npx -y hound-mcp. Config file locations are provided for Claude Desktop, Cursor, and Windsurf.

Does Hound MCP require any dependencies or runtime?

It requires Node.js and runs via npx. No other dependencies, API keys, or accounts are needed.

What tools does Hound MCP offer?

12 tools including hound_audit, hound_score, hound_compare, hound_preinstall, hound_upgrade, hound_license_check, hound_vulns, hound_inspect, hound_tree, hound_typosquat, hound_advisories, and hound_popular.

Frequently asked questions