Kali Linux Integrates Claude AI via Model Context Protocol to Enhance Offensive Security

Kali Linux now supports seamless integration with Anthropic’s Claude AI through the Model Context Protocol (MCP), enabling natural language-driven penetration testing.

This setup bridges Claude Desktop on macOS with Kali tools like Nmap and Gobuster, transforming descriptive prompts into executable commands.

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class="wp-block-heading" id="mcp-and-claude-sonnet-45-overview">MCP and Claude Sonnet 4.5 Overview

Model Context Protocol (MCP) acts as a universal bridge, allowing large language models like Claude Sonnet 4.5 to access external tools and maintain context across sessions.

In this integration, users prompt Claude in plain English, such as “port scan scanme.nmap.org” and the LLM translates it into commands like nmap -sV scanme.nmap.org, executing via MCP, analyzing results, and iterating if needed.

Kali’s official mcp-kali-server package provides the API server for this, supporting tools for recon, web scanning, and more.

The architecture uses three components: macOS with Claude Desktop for GUI, a Kali instance (local or cloud) as the attack platform, and cloud-based Claude Sonnet 4.5 as the LLM.

Kali must run SSH for secure access, with sudo apt install -y openssh-server and systemctl enable --now ssh if not pre-configured.

On macOS, generate an Ed25519 SSH key via ssh-keygen, then copy it to Kali using ssh-copy-id kali@<KALI_IP> for passwordless authentication.

Install the MCP server sudo apt install -y mcp-kali-server, then launch it via kali-server-mcp on port 5000.

Test the client with mcp-server; warnings about missing tools like Nmap, Gobuster, Nikto, Dirb, and others require installation: sudo apt install -y dirb gobuster nikto nmap enum4linux-ng hydra john metasploit-framework sqlmap wpscan wordlists.

Unzip wordlists like sudo gunzip /usr/share/wordlists/rockyou.txt.gz for completeness.

Download Claude Desktop for macOS from Anthropic and install it. Edit ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json to add the MCP server:

text{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-kali-server": {
      "command": "ssh",
      "args": ["kali@<KALI_IP>", "mcp-server"],
      "transport": "stdio"
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude and approve MCP permissions on first use.

Prompt Claude: “Port scan scanme.nmap.org and check for security.txt.” It verifies tools, runs Nmap, reports open ports (e.g., 80/TCP, 443/TCP), and follows up with curl checks.

Logs on Kali show executions like nmap -sV scanme.nmap.org, confirming real-time interaction. This enables AI-assisted pentesting, from recon to analysis, reducing manual command crafting.

Cloud Kali offers speed and proximity to targets; the setup is free at writing (Jan 2026). Limitations include no official Linux Claude Desktop support (use WINE or alternatives like 5ire) and privacy concerns with cloud LLMs.

Security pros gain intelligent analysis. Claude interprets results, prioritizes risks, and generates reports, accelerating workflows without replacing expertise.

This innovation, detailed in Kali’s official blog, marks a shift toward agentic pentesting.

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