tool_help

THE RISK

Low Risk

Why tool_help needs a policy

This tool queries and returns help documentation for Kali tools without executing them, modifying data, or triggering external operations. It is purely informational retrieval, matching the Read category definition of retrieving or querying data with no side effects.

From the tool's definition Tool description states it retrieves help text (--help or man), which are informational queries with no side effects. The tool name 'tool_help' and description 'Get usage / help text' indicate read-only behavior that retrieves documentation.

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

POLICY

How to control tool_help

PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway — it sits between your AI agents and Kali-Mcp-Toolkit, and nothing reaches the server without passing your rules. This is the rule we recommend for tool_help:

policy.json

{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "tool_help": {}
  }
}

tool_help is read-only, so it stays allowed — but everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.

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

CAP THIS TOOL →

Free to start. No card required.

EXPLORE

Related tools and policies

More Kali-Mcp-Toolkit tools

Destructive terminal_kill Destroy a terminal session and free resources. Execute code_execute Execute a script/program from the workspace. Execute shell_connection_exec Execute a command on a reverse-shell connection and return output. Execute shell_listener_start Start a reverse-shell listener (requires admin scope, must be enabled in config). Execute shell_listener_stop Stop a reverse-shell listener. Execute terminal_exec Execute a command in an existing terminal session. Execute exec_tool exec_tool Execute code_install_deps Install packages (requires admin scope, must be enabled in config).

All 20 Kali-Mcp-Toolkit tools →

Read tools on other servers

M-Team MCP Server get_torrent_detail YouTube MCP Server search_channel Android Forensics ADB MCP Server parse_browser_history 0xarchive web3_challenge

Go deeper

The MCP Attack Database → Documented attack patterns against MCP deployments — and the policies that stop them.
Data exfiltration → How read access becomes an exfiltration channel when chained with untrusted content.
MCP token cost → What connecting this server costs in context-window tokens on every request.
Rate Limiting MCP Tool Calls: A Practical Guide →
MCP Security: Why Prompt Guardrails Aren't Enough →

FAQ

Questions about tool_help

What does the tool_help tool do? +

Get usage / help text for a specific Kali tool (--help or man). It is categorised as a Read tool in the Kali-Mcp-Toolkit MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.

How do I enforce a policy on tool_help? +

Register the Kali-Mcp-Toolkit MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for tool_help: 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-Mcp-Toolkit. Nothing to install.

What risk level is tool_help? +

tool_help is a Read tool with low risk. Read-only tools are generally safe to allow by default.

Can I rate-limit tool_help? +

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

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

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

Enforce policy on every Kali-Mcp-Toolkit tool call.

Start from Kali-Mcp-Toolkit, add the rest of your stack, and see everything your agents can call. Then put policy on all of it.

CHECK YOUR STACK →