Pentest
NOT for educational purposes: An MCP server for professional penetration testers including STDIO/HTTP/SSE support, nmap, go/dirbuster, nikto, JtR, hashcat, wordlist building, and more.
What is Pentest?
Pentest is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that allows AI assistants like Claude, Cursor, and VS Code to not for educational purposes: an mcp server for professional penetration testers including stdio/http/sse support, nmap, go/dirbuster, nikto, jtr, hashcat, wordlist building, and more.
NOT for educational purposes: An MCP server for professional penetration testers including STDIO/HTTP/SSE support, nmap, go/dirbuster, nikto, JtR, hashcat, wordlist building, and more.
This server falls under the Security category on MCPgee, the world's largest MCP server directory with 33,000+ servers.
Features
- NOT for educational purposes: An MCP server for professional
Use Cases
Maintainer
Works with
Installation
NPM
npx -y pentest-mcpManual Installation
npx -y pentest-mcpConfiguration
Configuration Details
claude_desktop_config.json
Performance
Response Metrics
Resource Usage
How to Set Up and Use Pentest
The Pentest MCP server is a professional-grade tool that brings an entire penetration testing toolkit — including nmap, gobuster, dirb, nikto, John the Ripper, hashcat, subfinder, ffuf, nuclei, and hydra — into a single natural language interface via the Model Context Protocol. It supports STDIO, HTTP, and SSE transports with optional OIDC bearer authentication for team environments. Professional penetration testers use it to orchestrate complex assessment workflows by describing objectives to Claude rather than manually constructing lengthy command-line arguments.
Prerequisites
- Node.js 18+ and npm installed
- Penetration testing tools installed: nmap, gobuster, nikto, john, hashcat (via OS package manager or Kali Linux)
- Explicit written authorization to test all target systems — unauthorized use is illegal
- An MCP-compatible client such as Claude Desktop or Cursor
Install pentest-mcp via npx
The server can be run directly via npx without a global install, or installed globally with npm.
npm install -g pentest-mcpInstall required penetration testing tools
Install the underlying tools that pentest-mcp orchestrates. On Kali Linux most are pre-installed. On other systems, use the package manager.
# Debian/Ubuntu/Kali
sudo apt-get install -y nmap gobuster nikto john hashcat
# macOS (partial)
brew install nmap nikto john hashcatVerify tool availability
Confirm all tools are accessible on your PATH before starting the MCP server.
which nmap && which gobuster && which nikto && which john && which hashcatConfigure Claude Desktop
Add pentest-mcp to your Claude Desktop configuration using npx for zero-install operation.
{
"mcpServers": {
"pentest": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "pentest-mcp"]
}
}
}Run your first assessment
Start Claude Desktop and describe your assessment objective. The server will select and execute the appropriate tools and chain results automatically.
Pentest Examples
Client configuration
Claude Desktop configuration for the pentest-mcp server using npx in stdio mode.
{
"mcpServers": {
"pentest": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "pentest-mcp"]
}
}
}Prompts to try
Example prompts for professional penetration testers using the pentest-mcp server.
- "Run a port scan on 10.0.0.1 and identify services running on open ports"
- "Enumerate subdomains for target.com and probe which ones respond to HTTP"
- "Run a nikto scan on https://10.0.0.5 and summarize the findings"
- "Crack these NTLM hashes using the rockyou wordlist with hashcat"
- "Generate a client pentest report titled 'Q2 External Assessment' with scope from our previous scans"Troubleshooting Pentest
nmapScan returns permission denied for SYN scans
SYN scans require root/administrator privileges. Run the MCP server process with elevated permissions, or use TCP connect scans instead (nmap -sT) which work without root. On Linux, you can also grant nmap the CAP_NET_RAW capability.
gobuster or nikto not found even though they are installed
The MCP server spawns tool processes in a new shell and needs the tools on the system PATH. Verify the tools' locations with `which gobuster` and ensure those directories are in /etc/environment or the user's .profile, not just the interactive shell config.
SSE or HTTP transport returns 401 Unauthorized
Network transport modes require OIDC configuration. Set MCP_AUTH_ENABLED, MCP_OIDC_ISSUER, MCP_AUTH_AUDIENCE, MCP_OAUTH_CLIENT_ID, and MCP_OAUTH_CLIENT_SECRET environment variables before starting the server. For local-only use, stick to stdio transport which requires no authentication.
Frequently Asked Questions about Pentest
What is Pentest?
Pentest is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that not for educational purposes: an mcp server for professional penetration testers including stdio/http/sse support, nmap, go/dirbuster, nikto, jtr, hashcat, wordlist building, and more. It connects AI assistants to external tools and data sources through a standardized interface.
How do I install Pentest?
Install via npm with the command: npx -y pentest-mcp. Then add the server configuration to your AI client's JSON config file (e.g., claude_desktop_config.json or .cursor/mcp.json).
Which AI clients work with Pentest?
Pentest works with all major MCP-compatible AI clients including Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code (GitHub Copilot), Windsurf, and Cline.
Is Pentest free to use?
Yes, Pentest is open source and available under the MIT license. You can use it freely in both personal and commercial projects.
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