~/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
- Set up the drwho.me MCP server in Claude Desktop
- Model Context Protocol — official spec