IETF RFC Lookup

How to Use

Send requests to the RFC MCP server via mcp-call:

Get an RFC by number

python3 $MCP_CALL "npx -y @mjpitz/mcp-rfc" get_rfc '{"number":"4271"}'

Search RFCs by keyword

python3 $MCP_CALL "npx -y @mjpitz/mcp-rfc" search_rfcs '{"query":"BGP security"}'

Get a specific section

python3 $MCP_CALL "npx -y @mjpitz/mcp-rfc" get_rfc_section '{"number":"4271","section":"Security Considerations"}'

Available Tools

1. get_rfc - Fetch full RFC by number

   • number: RFC number (e.g., "4271", "5905")

2. search_rfcs - Search by keyword

   • query: Search term (e.g., "OSPF", "BGP security")

3. get_rfc_section - Extract specific section

   • number: RFC number
   • section: Section title or number

Common Networking RFCs

• RFC 4271 - BGP-4
• RFC 2328 - OSPF Version 2
• RFC 5905 - NTPv4
• RFC 7454 - BGP Operations and Security
• RFC 8200 - IPv6
• RFC 791 - IPv4
• RFC 2903 - AAA Authorization Framework

When to Use

• Verifying protocol implementations against standards
• Looking up best practices for configuration
• Cross-referencing CVE remediation with protocol specifications
• Learning about networking protocols

Failure Behavior

• On a tool error (timeout, unreachable host, malformed response), report the failure and its error message directly to the user rather than fabricating or guessing at results.
• For a confirmed read-only call, check connectivity and retry once if appropriate. For any call that changes state or sends a message, a timeout does not prove the action failed: inspect current state or delivery status before retrying, preserve the required approval/change gates, and do not repeat an action whose outcome is unknown.