About RIPE Atlas
RIPE Atlas is an MCP server for running and managing measurements on the RIPE Atlas network. It supports six measurement types, probe selection and discovery, result retrieval, and credit checks.
Key features
- 01Create six types of measurements
- 02Select probes by location and network
- 03Filter and retrieve results
- 04Search global probes
- 05Check credit balance and usage
Use cases
- 01Run ping or traceroute measurements
- 02Check DNS across distributed probes
- 03Find probes in a country or network
- 04Review measurement results and credits
MCP support
Exposes RIPE Atlas measurement creation and management, probe search, result retrieval, and account-credit tools to MCP clients. An API key is required to create measurements; read-only operations can work without one.
Configuration
Local server config is the same for every client. Copy it into your client’s MCP config file.
npx -y ripe-atlas-mcp-serverRIPE_ATLAS_API_KEYSecretRIPE Atlas API key with 'create measurement' permission. Get one at https://atlas.ripe.net/keys/Local servers need a runtime on your machine (e.g. Node.js 18+). Config file locations differ by client; see your client’s docs.
Tools
13Saved tool list · updated 2w ago
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| af | any | No | Address family: 4 for IPv4, 6 for IPv6 |
| size | integer | No | Packet size in bytes excluding headers (1-2048, default: 48) |
| tags | array | No | Tags to apply to the measurement |
| target | string | Yes | Target hostname or IP address |
| packets | integer | No | Number of packets to send (1-16, default: 3) |
| from_asn | integer | No | ASN number to select probes from |
| interval | integer | No | Interval in seconds between measurements (only used when is_oneoff=false) |
| from_area | enum | No | Geographic area to select probes fromWW | West | North-Central | South-Central | North-East | South-East |
| is_oneoff | boolean | No | If true (default), run once. If false, run periodically at 'interval' |
| description | string | No | Human-readable description of the measurement |
| from_prefix | string | No | IP prefix to select probes from (e.g. '193.0.0.0/21') |
| from_probes | string | No | Comma-separated list of specific probe IDs to use |
| probe_count | integer | No | Number of probes to use (1-1000, default: 5) |
| exclude_tags | array | No | Exclude probes with these tags |
| from_country | string | No | Two-letter ISO country code to select probes from (e.g. 'DE', 'US') |
| include_tags | array | No | Only include probes with these tags (e.g. ['system-ipv6-works']) |
| packet_interval | integer | No | Time between packets in ms (2-30000, default: 1000) |
| response_format | enum | No | Output format: 'json' for structured data or 'markdown' for human-readablemarkdown | json |
| resolve_on_probe | boolean | No | Resolve DNS names on probe instead of RIPE servers |
Details
From the project READMERIPE Atlas MCP Server
A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for the RIPE Atlas network measurement platform. Enables AI assistants to create network measurements, retrieve results, search probes, and manage credits.
Features
- All 6 measurement types: ping, traceroute, DNS, TLS/SSL, HTTP, NTP
- Flexible probe selection: by country, ASN, prefix, geographic area, specific probes, or tags
- Rich result retrieval: time-range filtering, probe filtering, latest-only mode
- Dual output format: JSON (structured) and Markdown (human-readable)
- Probe discovery: search 12,000+ probes worldwide by location, network, status
- Credit management: check balance and usage statistics
Quick Start
Using npx (recommended)
npx ripe-atlas-mcp-server
Install globally
npm install -g ripe-atlas-mcp-server
Configuration
Prerequisites
- Create a free account at atlas.ripe.net
- Create an API key at atlas.ripe.net/keys/ with "Create measurements" permission
- Set the environment variable:
export RIPE_ATLAS_API_KEY=your_key_here
Note: Read-only operations (listing measurements, searching probes) work without an API key. Creating measurements requires an API key.
Claude Desktop
Add to your Claude Desktop config (~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json):
{
"mcpServers": {
"ripe-atlas": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "ripe-atlas-mcp-server"],
"env": {
"RIPE_ATLAS_API_KEY": "your_key_here"
}
}
}
}
VS Code / GitHub Copilot
Add to your VS Code settings or .vscode/mcp.json:
{
"mcpServers": {
"ripe-atlas": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "ripe-atlas-mcp-server"],
"env": {
"RIPE_ATLAS_API_KEY": "your_key_here"
}
}
}
}
Cursor
Add to your Cursor MCP config:
{
"mcpServers": {
"ripe-atlas": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "ripe-atlas-mcp-server"],
"env": {
"RIPE_ATLAS_API_KEY": "your_key_here"
}
}
}
}
Tools
Measurement Creation
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
atlas_measure_ping | Create ICMP ping measurements from distributed probes |
atlas_measure_traceroute | Create traceroute measurements (ICMP/UDP/TCP) |
atlas_measure_dns | Create DNS lookup measurements with DNSSEC support |
atlas_measure_tls | Create TLS/SSL certificate check measurements |
atlas_measure_http | Create HTTP request measurements (GET/HEAD/POST) |
atlas_measure_ntp | Create NTP time query measurements |
Measurement Management
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
atlas_list_measurements | Search and list measurements with filters |
atlas_get_measurement | Get detailed measurement information by ID |
atlas_get_results | Retrieve measurement results with time/probe filters |
atlas_stop_measurement | Stop a running measurement |
Probes
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
atlas_search_probes | Search probes by country, ASN, prefix, status, tags |
atlas_get_probe | Get detailed probe information by ID |
Account
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
atlas_get_credits | Check credit balance and usage statistics |
Common Parameters
All measurement creation tools support:
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
target | Target hostname or IP address |
af | Address family: 4 (IPv4) or 6 (IPv6) |
probe_count | Number of probes (1-1000, default: 5) |
from_country | Two-letter ISO country code (e.g. AU, DE, US) |
from_asn | Autonomous System Number |
from_prefix | IP prefix (e.g. 193.0.0.0/21) |
from_area | Geographic area: WW, West, North-Central, South-Central, North-East, South-East |
from_probes | Comma-separated probe IDs |
include_tags / exclude_tags | Filter probes by tags |
is_oneoff | One-shot (true, default) or recurring (false) |
response_format | json (default) or markdown |
Examples
Ping a target from 10 random probes:
"Ping 1.1.1.1 from 10 probes worldwide"
Check DNS propagation:
"Do a DNS lookup for example.com AAAA records from 50 probes across the world"
Find probes in a country:
"Show me all connected RIPE Atlas probes in Australia"
Trace a route:
"Run a traceroute to 8.8.8.8 from 5 probes in Germany using ICMP"
What is RIPE Atlas?
RIPE Atlas is a global Internet measurement network operated by RIPE NCC. It consists of thousands of hardware and software probes hosted by volunteers worldwide. Users can run network measurements (ping, traceroute, DNS, TLS, HTTP, NTP) from these distributed vantage points, providing visibility into Internet routing, performance, and DNS resolution globally.
Development
git clone https://github.com/jrelph/ripe-atlas-mcp.git
cd ripe-atlas-mcp-server
npm install
npm run build
Contributing
See CONTRIBUTING.md for details.
License
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