recon
Point recon at a domain and get its public technology and identity footprint: email security, mail and identity providers, SaaS indicators, and certificate-transparency findings. No credentials, no API keys, no active scanning. Ships as a CLI, versioned JSON, and a local MCP server for agent tools.
A domain is a query coordinate, not proof of one organization or product. Observations, not verdicts.
Defensive use only. Posture review, vendor diligence, architecture review. See docs/legal.md.
Quick Start
Install with uv or pipx:
uv tool install recon-tool
# or
pipx install recon-tool
Python 3.11 through 3.14, on Windows, macOS, or Linux.
Optional helpers at scripts/install.ps1 and scripts/install.sh drive an
existing uv or pipx installation. Download a
release-tag source archive,
review the helper locally, then run it. Each helper installs the exact version
represented by that tag, preserves a sole existing uv or pipx owner, and
refuses ambiguous or unmanaged installations. Do not pipe mutable branch
content into a shell. To verify published artifacts before installing, follow the
consumer verification recipe.
Verify the installed command offline:
recon --version
Then optionally test online connectivity to recon's public data sources:
recon doctor
Before the first lookup, know what leaves your machine. recon makes DNS queries
that recursive and authoritative DNS infrastructure may observe. Its only
default request to a target-owned endpoint is the standards-defined MTA-STS
policy fetch. Google CSE and BIMI certificate probes run only when
--direct-probes is explicitly enabled. Readable overview:
docs/how-it-works.md.
Formal correlation model (layers, Bayesian DAG, robustness research):
docs/correlation.md.
recon example.com
Example output
This is a deterministic, no-network fixture for the fictional Example Industries Ltd using reserved example.com. No real organization is depicted. Other project fixtures use IETF reserved .invalid namespaces.
Accessible text transcript
$ recon example.com
Example Industries Ltd
example.com
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Provider Microsoft 365 + Proofpoint gateway
Tenant a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890 • NA
Tenant domain example-industries.onmicrosoft.example.com
Auth Federated
Confidence ●●● High (4 sources)
Services
Email Microsoft 365, Proofpoint, DMARC reject, DKIM,
SPF strict, MTA-STS enforce
Identity Okta
Cloud Cloudflare (CDN/edge), AWS Route 53 (DNS)
Security Wiz Security
Data & Analytics Snowflake, Datadog
Collaboration Slack, Atlassian (Jira/Confluence), GitHub, Zoom
Evidence roles: --explain
High-signal related domains
login.example.com, status.example.com, support.example.com
Insights
Federated identity observed; identity-vendor indicators: Okta
Email security: observed controls: DMARC reject, DKIM, SPF strict, MTA-STS
Install, update, uninstall, and first-run detail: docs/getting-started.md.
What recon Is Good For
| Need | Use recon for | Use something else when |
|---|---|---|
| Fast external stack context | Passive DNS, identity-endpoint, CT, SaaS, and posture indicators | You need authenticated tenant inventory or asset-management truth |
| Defensive review or vendor diligence | Hedged observations and evidence traces you can verify | You need vulnerability scanning, exploit checks, or host-level facts |
| Automation-friendly output | Stable JSON, batch mode, delta mode, and local MCP tools | You need dashboards, scheduling, or report generation built in |
recon reports observations, not verdicts. Public channel ceiling: docs/limitations.md.
Common Commands
recon example.com # default panel
recon example.com --explain # evidence trail
recon example.com --plain # linear text for screen readers and grep
recon example.com --json # structured record
recon batch domains.txt --json # batch JSON array
recon delta example.com # diff vs local cache
recon capsule capture example.com -o run.json # caller-owned replay artifact
recon mcp install --client=cursor # wire MCP into a client
More flags: docs/cli-surface.md. JSON contracts: schema · stability · operational contract.
Versioned JSON remains recon's structured runtime contract. The Open Knowledge Format v0.2 projection is deferred until a named consumer justifies the mapping. recon does not emit OKF, and any future OKF view would be additive rather than a replacement for JSON. Caller-owned JSON observation capsules are documented in docs/observation-capsules.md, with the decision boundary in ADR-0014.
docs/surface-inventory.json, docs/cli-surface.md, and
recon://surface-inventory are generated discovery context and drift guards,
not stable runtime API contracts. ADR-0007 records the promotion gate.
Use with an AI agent (plugin / MCP / skill)
Wire recon into Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code, Windsurf, Kiro, or any MCP-compatible client:
recon mcp install --client=claude-desktop
# also: claude-code, cursor, vscode, windsurf, kiro
recon mcp doctor
Start with manual tool approvals. Treat agents as untrusted input. Full setup: docs/mcp.md. Per-client scaffolds and skills: agents/.
The current scaffolds use each client's native configuration. In particular, the bundled Claude Code plugin uses Claude Code's client-specific layout; it does not claim conformance with the portable Agent Plugins v1.0.0 working draft. A schema-pinned portable package is tracked in the roadmap. Until it is validated across representative clients, use the documented client-specific install path above.
| You say | What the agent should do |
|---|---|
| "Recon example.com" | Call lookup_tenant (or recon example.com) and return the panel-style summary |
| "What does example.com run for email and identity?" | Same lookup; lead with MX/IdP/tenant facts and confidence |
| "Why do you think that?" | Re-run with explain / provenance (--explain or explain=true) |
| "Compare example.com and example.net" | compare_postures or two lookups side by side |
| "Any public hardening gaps?" | find_hardening_gaps after a lookup - hedged "Consider" notes only |
Example chat (Example Industries demo shape):
You: Recon example.com and tell me what you observe.
Agent: Public evidence for
example.com(fictional demo):
- Mail: Microsoft 365 delivery path plus Proofpoint gateway; DMARC
p=reject, SPF strict, MTA-STS enforce.- Identity: Federated; Okta indicator via CNAME.
- Tenant: GUID present, region NA; confidence high from four sources.
- Also seen: Cloudflare and Route 53 infrastructure, Wiz, Snowflake, Datadog, Slack, Atlassian, GitHub, and Zoom public indicators.
These are public-record observations, not a security grade or proof of active product use. Say if you want evidence detail or a gap review.
Guidance: agents/claude-code/skills/recon/, AGENTS.md.
Optional Cloud Access
Local execution is the default, and the project does not operate a hosted service. For teams that want shared remote access, the repository includes a draft authenticated container and Cloud Run Terraform starting point. It is intended to be directionally useful, not a validated production deployment. Operators own deployment, identity, data handling, cost, and operations.
Docs
| Topic | Link |
|---|---|
| Install and first commands | docs/getting-started.md |
| How it works | docs/how-it-works.md |
| Observation capsules | docs/observation-capsules.md |
| Correlation model | docs/correlation.md |
| MCP and agents | docs/mcp.md, agents/ |
| Full docs index | docs/README.md |
| Roadmap | ROADMAP.md · docs/roadmap.md · docs/strategic-gap-audit.md |
| Changelog | CHANGELOG.md |
| Security | SECURITY.md · docs/security.md |
Research and publication pointers (maintainer track, not the product core): docs/submission-freeze-checklist.md, validation/2026-06-30-submission-freeze-local-proof.md, docs/public-label-snapshot-decision.md (public lists as robustness checks rather than population rates), and docs/m365-tenancy-decision.md.
Development
uv sync
uv run pre-commit install
uv run python scripts/release_readiness.py --allow-dirty
uv run python scripts/check.py
uv run python scripts/check.py is the canonical local gate: lint, type
checks, coverage-gated tests, generated-artifact and catalog checks, text and
link hygiene, interface and claim checks, and size and complexity ratchets.
Green locally means green in CI.
Project hygiene: keep examples reserved and synthetic, keep validation artifacts aggregate-only, and avoid dead code or placeholders. See CONTRIBUTING.md.
License
Apache 2.0. Free to use, build on, fork, and share. See LICENSE for the full terms.
1 maintainer
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