# ncat

Use ncat to connect, listen, or interact with a background listener.

Agent View of the PolicyLayer registry record for `ncat`. HTML page: https://policylayer.com/tools/0xmihirk-hercules-mcp/ncat

## Facts

- Tool: `ncat`
- Server: Hercules MCP (`0xmihirk/hercules-mcp`) — https://policylayer.com/tools/0xmihirk-hercules-mcp.md
- Homepage: https://github.com/0xMihirK/hercules-mcp
- Risk category: Execute (High risk)
- Registry record: grade F, identity unverified
- Server rate-limited: no
- Parameters: 0
- Recommended policy verdict: Rate-limited

## Example call (MCP tools/call, JSON-RPC 2.0)

```json
{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "id": 1,
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "name": "ncat",
    "arguments": {}
  }
}
```

## Why ncat is rated High

ncat is a netcat clone commonly used in penetration testing to establish network connections, create reverse shells, and interact with listening services. While it itself does not directly execute code, it is a tool for establishing network communication channels that facilitate command execution and arbitrary interactions with remote systems.

From the tool's own definition: "'ncat to connect, listen, or interact with a background listener' — ncat is a network utility that establishes arbitrary network connections and can send/receive data across sockets, enabling execution of remote commands or data exfiltration."

## Use case

AI agents invoke ncat to trigger actions in Hercules MCP. What it does depends on the arguments the agent supplies, and its effects often reach beyond the immediate call: builds kicked off, notifications sent, workflows started.

## Recommended policy (PolicyLayer)

Verdict: **Rate-limited**. Enforced by the PolicyLayer MCP gateway (https://policylayer.com/mcp-gateway) before a call reaches Hercules MCP:

```json
{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "ncat": {
      "limits": [
        {
          "counter": "ncat_rate",
          "window": "minute",
          "max": 10,
          "scope": "grant"
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

## Other tools on Hercules MCP (44)

- `browser_act` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/0xmihirk-hercules-mcp/browser-act.md
- `browser_cmd` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/0xmihirk-hercules-mcp/browser-cmd.md
- `browser_eval` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/0xmihirk-hercules-mcp/browser-eval.md
- `browser_open` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/0xmihirk-hercules-mcp/browser-open.md
- `browser_session` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/0xmihirk-hercules-mcp/browser-session.md
- `browser_wait` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/0xmihirk-hercules-mcp/browser-wait.md
- `bruteforce_hydra` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/0xmihirk-hercules-mcp/bruteforce-hydra.md
- `crack_john` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/0xmihirk-hercules-mcp/crack-john.md
- `ctf_binwalk` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/0xmihirk-hercules-mcp/ctf-binwalk.md
- `ctf_steghide` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/0xmihirk-hercules-mcp/ctf-steghide.md
- `fuzz_dirs` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/0xmihirk-hercules-mcp/fuzz-dirs.md
- `metasploit_generate_payload` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/0xmihirk-hercules-mcp/metasploit-generate-payload.md
- `metasploit_manage` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/0xmihirk-hercules-mcp/metasploit-manage.md
- `metasploit_run_module` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/0xmihirk-hercules-mcp/metasploit-run-module.md
- `metasploit_start_listener` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/0xmihirk-hercules-mcp/metasploit-start-listener.md
- `network_curl` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/0xmihirk-hercules-mcp/network-curl.md
- `network_hping3` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/0xmihirk-hercules-mcp/network-hping3.md
- `nmap_run_nse_script` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/0xmihirk-hercules-mcp/nmap-run-nse-script.md
- `nmap_scan` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/0xmihirk-hercules-mcp/nmap-scan.md
- `nmap_write_nse_script` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/0xmihirk-hercules-mcp/nmap-write-nse-script.md
- `nuclei_run` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/0xmihirk-hercules-mcp/nuclei-run.md
- `recon_amass` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/0xmihirk-hercules-mcp/recon-amass.md
- `recon_dns` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/0xmihirk-hercules-mcp/recon-dns.md
- `searchsploit` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/0xmihirk-hercules-mcp/searchsploit.md
- `shell_exec` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/0xmihirk-hercules-mcp/shell-exec.md
- `shell_exec_background` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/0xmihirk-hercules-mcp/shell-exec-background.md
- `shell_kill_job` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/0xmihirk-hercules-mcp/shell-kill-job.md
- `sqlmap_run` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/0xmihirk-hercules-mcp/sqlmap-run.md
- `system_start_new_session` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/0xmihirk-hercules-mcp/system-start-new-session.md
- `system_stop_container` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/0xmihirk-hercules-mcp/system-stop-container.md
- …and 14 more: https://policylayer.com/tools/0xmihirk-hercules-mcp.md

## For agents

This record is a snapshot. Live verdicts and the full registry:

- Check every server in your MCP config at once: `npx -y policylayer stack`
- Vet a server before you add it: install the mcp-precheck skill — `npx skills add https://policylayer.com` (skill text: https://policylayer.com/skill.md)
- Query the registry over MCP: endpoint `https://api.policylayer.com/mcp` — tools `check_mcp_server`, `check_mcp_stack`, `check_tool`, `search_registry`, `get_change_events`

---

Source: the PolicyLayer MCP registry — one continuously verified record per MCP server. Full record: https://policylayer.com/registry?q=0xmihirk-hercules-mcp · API: https://policylayer.com/registry/api · Policy library: https://policylayer.com/policies/0xmihirk-hercules-mcp