stop_responder

Terminates a running Responder background process.

SERVERPentester-MCP SOURCEhalilkirazkaya/pentester-mcp

High RISK CLASS

Category Execute

Parameters 00 required

Recommended Rate-limitedsee the rule below

Registry record Grade F, identity unverified Pull the record →

This record as markdown: /tools/halilkirazkaya-pentester-mcp/stop-responder.md

WHAT IT DOES

What stop_responder does on Pentester-MCP

AI agents invoke stop_responder to trigger actions in Pentester-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.

RISK

Why stop_responder is rated High

This tool executes a command to stop an active process, which is a system operation with effects that depend on which process is running. While not destructive (the process can be restarted) and not Write (it doesn't create/modify data), it is Execute because it triggers an external operation (process termination) whose effects are immediately observable on the system.

From the tool's definition Tool 'stop_responder' terminates a running background process. The description explicitly states it 'Terminates a running Responder background process.' Responder is a network analysis tool often used in penetration testing.

Attacks that exploit this kind of access

RECOMMENDED RULE

The rule that runs stop_responder safely

PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway: it sits between your AI agents and Pentester-MCP, and checks every tool call against a rule you set before the call runs. Nothing changes on the server itself. For stop_responder, this is the rule to start with:

stop_responder Rate-limited

stop_responder stays usable, but rate-capped: a runaway agent can't fire it dozens of times a minute. Everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.

View as policy code

policy.json

{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "stop_responder": {
      "limits": [
        {
          "counter": "stop_responder_rate",
          "window": "minute",
          "max": 10,
          "scope": "grant"
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}

RATE-LIMIT THIS TOOL → Instant setup, no code required.

The button opens the PolicyLayer dashboard: create your workspace, connect Pentester-MCP, apply this rule, and every stop_responder call is checked against it from then on.

FAQ

Questions about stop_responder

What does the stop_responder tool do? +

Terminates a running Responder background process. It is categorised as a Execute tool in the Pentester-MCP MCP Server, which means it can trigger actions or run processes. Use rate limits and argument validation.

How do I enforce a policy on stop_responder? +

Register the Pentester MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for stop_responder: allow, deny, rate-limit, or require approval. Point your MCP client at the PolicyLayer proxy URL and the rule is enforced on every call, before it reaches Pentester-MCP. Nothing to install.

What risk level is stop_responder? +

stop_responder is a Execute tool with high risk. Execute tools should be rate-limited and have argument validation enabled.

Can I rate-limit stop_responder? +

Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the stop_responder rule in your PolicyLayer policy. For example, setting max: 10 and window: 60 limits the tool to 10 calls per minute. Rate limits are tracked per agent session and reset automatically.

How do I block stop_responder completely? +

Set action: deny in the PolicyLayer policy for stop_responder. The AI agent will receive a policy violation error and cannot call the tool. You can also include a reason field to explain why the tool is blocked.

What MCP server provides stop_responder? +

stop_responder is provided by the Pentester MCP server (halilkirazkaya/pentester-mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.

KEEP EXPLORING

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All 337 Pentester tools → High-risk tools on this server →

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stop_emba_scan on EMBA-MCP → All high-risk MCP tools → The MCP Attack Database →

Guides

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