photon_scan · Kali MCP: Risk & Policy

WHAT IT DOES

What photon_scan does on Kali

AI agents invoke photon_scan to trigger actions in Kali. 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.

WHY IT NEEDS A POLICY

Why photon_scan needs a policy

This tool executes a web crawler (Photon) against target web properties. It performs active network operations by crawling websites, which constitutes executing an external operation with effects depending on arguments (target URLs). While primarily a reconnaissance/read tool in intent, it actively sends HTTP requests to external systems and falls under Execute.

From the tool's definition 'Execute Photon web crawler' — actively runs a web crawling process against external targets

Attacks that exploit this kind of access

Recommended rule Ready

Verdict

photon_scan Rate-limited

photon_scan 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": {
    "photon_scan": {
      "limits": [
        {
          "counter": "photon_scan_rate",
          "window": "minute",
          "max": 10,
          "scope": "grant"
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}

RATE-LIMIT THIS TOOL →

Instant setup, no code required.

PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway: every tool call is checked against your rule before it reaches Kali, so you can run agents against it safely.

FAQ

Questions about photon_scan

What does the photon_scan tool do? +

Execute Photon web crawler. It is categorised as a Execute tool in the Kali MCP Server, which means it can trigger actions or run processes. Use rate limits and argument validation.

How do I enforce a policy on photon_scan? +

Register the Kali MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for photon_scan: 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.

What risk level is photon_scan? +

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

Can I rate-limit photon_scan? +

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

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

photon_scan is provided by the Kali MCP server (pentestt00ls/kali-mcp-server). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.