skipfish_scan · Kali MCP: Risk & Policy

WHAT IT DOES

What skipfish_scan does on Kali

AI agents invoke skipfish_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 skipfish_scan needs a policy

Skipfish actively scans web applications by sending crafted HTTP requests to discover vulnerabilities, which constitutes executing external operations against a target. This is not a passive read; it actively interacts with remote systems and can cause load, trigger alerts, or inadvertently affect the target.

From the tool's definition 'Execute skipfish with the provided parameters' — skipfish is an active web application security reconnaissance tool that crawls and probes web targets, triggering external HTTP operations against target systems.

Attacks that exploit this kind of access

Recommended rule Ready

Verdict

skipfish_scan Rate-limited

skipfish_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": {
    "skipfish_scan": {
      "limits": [
        {
          "counter": "skipfish_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 skipfish_scan

What does the skipfish_scan tool do? +

Execute skipfish with the provided parameters. 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 skipfish_scan? +

Register the Kali MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for skipfish_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 skipfish_scan? +

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

Can I rate-limit skipfish_scan? +

Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the skipfish_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 skipfish_scan completely? +

Set action: deny in the PolicyLayer policy for skipfish_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 skipfish_scan? +

skipfish_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.