# recon_whois

Domain OSINT via whois.

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

## Facts

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

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

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

## Why recon_whois is rated Low

WHOIS lookups are passive reconnaissance that query public registration data about a domain. This is a read-only operation with no side effects — it retrieves publicly available information. While it is used in penetration testing workflows, the tool itself causes no harm and cannot modify or destroy data. Severity is low as the blast radius of misuse is minimal (the information is already public).

From the tool's own definition: "Domain OSINT via whois"

## Use case

AI agents call recon_whois to retrieve information from Hercules MCP without modifying anything. It is typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.

## Recommended policy (PolicyLayer)

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

```json
{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "recon_whois": {}
  }
}
```

## 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
- `ncat` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/0xmihirk-hercules-mcp/ncat.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
- …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