recover_sessions

THE RISK

High Risk

Why recover_sessions needs a policy

Recovering/reconnecting to tmux sessions re-establishes active execution environments (potentially running Metasploit, reverse shells, etc.) on remote systems via SSH. While the act of reconnecting is itself more of a session management operation, in this high-risk pentest context it re-enables Execute-level capabilities.

From the tool's definition 'Find and reconnect to orphaned tmux sessions' — restores persistent tmux sessions on a penetration testing server that supports Metasploit, reverse shells, and autonomous pentest workflows

Documented attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access recover_sessions gives an agent:

POLICY

How to control recover_sessions

PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway — it sits between your AI agents and Pentest MCP Server, and nothing reaches the server without passing your rules. This is the rule we recommend for recover_sessions:

policy.json

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

recover_sessions 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.

Create a free account and register Pentest MCP Server — nothing to install.
Add this policy — paste it, or build it visually.
Point your MCP client (Claude, Cursor, anything) at your gateway URL.

RATE-LIMIT THIS TOOL →

Free to start. No card required.

EXPLORE

Related tools and policies

More Pentest MCP Server tools

Destructive kill_session Terminate a tmux session Execute execute Execute a command in a persistent tmux session with trigger-based monitoring Execute create_session Create a new persistent tmux session Execute send_input Send input to an interactive session Write upload_file Upload a file to the your OS system Read parse_tool_output Parse common pentest tool outputs (nmap XML, JSON, etc.) Read download_file Download a file from the your OS system Read get_session_history Get command history for a specific tmux session

All 12 Pentest MCP Server tools →

Execute tools on other servers

Android Forensics ADB MCP Server adb_shell_command EMBA-MCP run_emba_scan Frida Game Hacking MCP remove_breakpoint Procmon request_elevation

Go deeper

High-risk tools in Pentest MCP Server → Every high-risk tool this server exposes, in one view.
All high-risk MCP tools → Every high-risk tool across the catalogue, and the policy pattern that contains them.
The MCP Attack Database → Documented attack patterns against MCP deployments — and the policies that stop them.
Agent sandbox → Bounding what an agent can execute and where the boundary should sit.
Least privilege for MCP → Granting agents the minimum tool surface the task needs.
Rate Limiting MCP Tool Calls: A Practical Guide →
MCP Security: Why Prompt Guardrails Aren't Enough →

FAQ

Questions about recover_sessions

What does the recover_sessions tool do? +

Find and reconnect to orphaned tmux sessions. It is categorised as a Execute tool in the Pentest MCP Server MCP Server, which means it can trigger actions or run processes. Use rate limits and argument validation.

How do I enforce a policy on recover_sessions? +

Register the Pentest MCP Server MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for recover_sessions: 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 Pentest MCP Server. Nothing to install.

What risk level is recover_sessions? +

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

Can I rate-limit recover_sessions? +

Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the recover_sessions 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 recover_sessions completely? +

Set action: deny in the PolicyLayer policy for recover_sessions. 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 recover_sessions? +

recover_sessions is provided by the Pentest MCP Server MCP server (layesec006/pentest-mcp-server). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.

Enforce policy on every Pentest MCP Server tool call.

Start from Pentest MCP Server, add the rest of your stack, and see everything your agents can call. Then put policy on all of it.

CHECK YOUR STACK →