~/blog/check-domain-dns-from-claude

> How to check any domain's DNS and email setup directly from Claude

· mcp · claude · ai · dns

Model Context Protocol is Anthropic's standard for letting LLMs call external tools. Once configured, Claude Desktop treats an MCP server's tools the same as its built-in capabilities — you ask "what's the DMARC record for stripe.com?" and Claude invokes dossier_dmarc directly, parses the response, and writes up the answer.

What drwho.me exposes

The MCP endpoint at https://drwho.me/mcp/mcp advertises 21 tools:

  • 10 per-check dossier functions: dossier_dns, dossier_mx, dossier_spf, dossier_dmarc, dossier_dkim, dossier_tls, dossier_redirects, dossier_headers, dossier_cors, dossier_web_surface.
  • dossier_full — runs all ten checks in parallel and returns one JSON object. One tool call, ten checks.
  • 10 developer utilities: base64_encode, base64_decode, dns_lookup, jwt_decode, uuid_generate, url_encode, url_decode, json_format, user_agent_parse, ip_lookup.

Same results as the web UI. Same cache. Same rate limits.

Adding the server to Claude Desktop

Edit ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (macOS) or the platform equivalent:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "drwho.me": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "mcp-remote", "https://drwho.me/mcp/mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Claude Desktop only accepts stdio-style entries, so mcp-remote runs as a local proxy to the remote endpoint. Restart Claude Desktop after editing. The next conversation will see the tools.

What the conversation looks like

You ask: "Check whether stripe.com has a DMARC record and what policy it publishes."

Claude calls dossier_dmarc(stripe.com), receives a JSON result with the record text, policy, and reporting address, then writes a human-readable summary. You never see the raw tool call unless you expand the tool-use block.

Multi-domain questions work too: "Compare the TLS cert expiry dates for stripe.com, paypal.com, and chase.com." Claude issues three dossier_tls calls in parallel, collates the results, and presents a table.

When to use MCP vs the web UI

MCP wins for:

  • Workflow integration — you are already in a chat discussing a system, and pulling up a browser breaks context.
  • Aggregation — asking for a report across 20 domains is faster than clicking 20 pages.
  • Composition — combining dossier output with Claude's knowledge ("this DMARC policy is misconfigured because X, which is why you are seeing Y in the aggregate reports").

The web UI wins for:

  • Shareable links — you want to send a co-worker the report.
  • Browser-native UX — sticky sections, copy buttons, and the fixed terminal styling.

Or check DNS records in the browser →

Further reading