container_status
Check the status of the Kali Linux Docker container.
This record as markdown: /tools/hannes221-kali-mcp/container-status.md
What container_status does on Kali
AI agents call container_status to retrieve information from Kali without modifying anything. It is typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
Why container_status is rated Low
This is a read-only operation that queries the status of a Docker container. It has no side effects, does not execute commands, and does not modify any data or state. The blast radius of misuse is minimal—an attacker gains only information about whether the container is running.
From the tool's definition Tool name 'container_status' and description 'Check the status of the Kali Linux Docker container' indicate a query operation that retrieves container state information without modifying or executing anything.
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
The rule that runs container_status safely
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway: it sits between your AI agents and Kali, and checks every tool call against a rule you set before the call runs. Nothing changes on the server itself. For container_status, this is the rule to start with:
container_status is read-only, so it stays allowed. Everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.
The button opens the PolicyLayer dashboard: create your workspace, connect Kali, apply this rule, and every container_status call is checked against it from then on.
Questions about container_status
Check the status of the Kali Linux Docker container. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Kali MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the Kali MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for container_status: 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 Kali. Nothing to install.
container_status is a Read tool with low risk. Read-only tools are generally safe to allow by default.
Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the container_status 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.
Set action: deny in the PolicyLayer policy for container_status. 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.
container_status is provided by the Kali MCP server (hannes221/kali-mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
More on Kali, and thousands of servers like it.
This server
Across the catalogue