KALI-MCP: AI-Powered Pentesting Bridge

A "Vibecoder" style MCP server that bridges LLMs directly into a Kali Linux environment via Docker. Designed for high-speed, AI-driven security auditing, R&D, and rapid penetration testing simulations.

Features

Full Potential: No command whitelisting — execute any Kali tool (Nmap, SQLMap, Metasploit, etc.) directly via AI.
Network-Ready: Docker capabilities NET_ADMIN and NET_RAW for stealth scanning and packet crafting.
Dockerized: One-command setup for fully isolated environments.
Claude Desktop Integration: Plug directly into Claude Desktop via MCP config.
GPL v3 Licensed: Free and Open Source.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have the following installed:

Docker Desktop (Windows/macOS/Linux)
Claude Desktop
Git

Project Structure

kali-mcp/
├── Dockerfile        # Kali Linux Docker environment
├── mcp_server.py     # MCP bridge server
└── README.md

Setup & Installation

Step 1 — Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/edutechenterprises2023-ops/kali-mcp.git
cd kali-mcp

Step 2 — Build the Docker Image

docker build -t my-kali-mcp .

This pulls the latest Kali Linux rolling image and installs Nmap, SQLMap, Metasploit, and the MCP Python package.

Step 3 — Test the Container (Optional)

docker run -i --rm --cap-add=NET_ADMIN --cap-add=NET_RAW my-kali-mcp

If it starts without errors, you're good to go.

Enabling MCP in Docker Desktop

Docker Desktop has a built-in MCP Toolkit that must be enabled for Claude to communicate with local containers.

Open Docker Desktop.
Click the Settings gear icon (top right).
Navigate to Features in Development (or Beta Features depending on your version).
Enable "MCP Toolkit" / "Model Context Protocol support".
Click Apply & Restart.

If you don't see the MCP option, make sure Docker Desktop is updated to the latest version.

Connecting to Claude Desktop

Step 1 — Locate the Config File

On Windows, the Claude Desktop config is located at:

C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

Tip: Press Win + R, type %APPDATA%\Claude, and hit Enter to open the folder directly.

On macOS, it's at:

~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Step 2 — Edit the Config File

Open claude_desktop_config.json in any text editor (Notepad, VS Code, etc.) and paste in the following:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "kali-local": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "-i",
        "--rm",
        "--cap-add=NET_ADMIN",
        "--cap-add=NET_RAW",
        "my-kali-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Step 3 — Restart Claude Desktop

Fully quit and relaunch Claude Desktop. On Windows:

Right-click the Claude icon in the system tray (bottom-right corner).
Click Quit.
Reopen Claude Desktop from the Start menu.

Step 4 — Verify the Connection

Once Claude Desktop restarts:

Start a new chat.
Look for the 🔧 Tools icon or the MCP indicator in the input bar.
You should see kali-local listed as an available MCP server.
Try a test prompt:

Run nmap -sV localhost using the kali-local tool

If Claude executes the command and returns output, everything is working correctly.

How It Works

The MCP server (mcp_server.py) exposes a single tool — execute_kali_cmd — that Claude calls to run shell commands inside the Kali container:

import subprocess
from mcp.server.fastmcp import FastMCP

mcp = FastMCP("kali-tools-mcp")

@mcp.tool()
def execute_kali_cmd(command: str) -> str:
    """
    Run any Kali Linux terminal command (nmap, sqlmap, etc.)
    :param command: The full terminal command to execute.
    """
    try:
        result = subprocess.check_output(command, shell=True, stderr=subprocess.STDOUT, text=True)
        return result
    except subprocess.CalledProcessError as e:
        return f"Error: {e.output}"

if __name__ == "__main__":
    mcp.run()

Flow: Claude sends a command string → MCP server executes it inside the container → returns output to Claude.

Troubleshooting

| Issue | Fix | |---|---| | docker: command not found | Ensure Docker Desktop is installed and running | | Claude doesn't show kali-local tool | Check the JSON config for syntax errors and restart Claude Desktop | | Container exits immediately | Run docker run -it my-kali-mcp bash to debug interactively | | MCP not available in Docker Desktop | Update Docker Desktop to the latest version and enable MCP in Settings |

Security Disclaimer

⚠️ For R&D and educational use only.

This tool intentionally allows Remote Code Execution (RCE) inside the container. Always run in an isolated lab or VM environment. Never use against systems you do not own or have explicit written permission to test. The author is not responsible for misuse.

License

GPL v3 — Free and Open Source.

MCP Servers