Kali MCP + Claude Desktop

This guide shows how to connect Claude Desktop to a Kali Linux VMware VM through MCP, allowing the AI agent to communicate with Kali tools through SSH.

Prerequisites

Host machine Windows or macOS.
Claude Desktop installed and logged in.
VMware running a Kali Linux VM.
Troubleshooting skills optional, but highly recommended.

Kali Settings VMware

Open your Kali Linux VM and update the system.

bash

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Install OpenSSH. We will use SSH to connect from the host machine to the Kali VM.

bash

sudo apt install -y openssh-server

Enable and start the SSH service.

bash

sudo systemctl enable --now ssh

Install mcp-kali-server. This package allows Claude to communicate with Kali and execute supported commands through the MCP bridge.

bash

sudo apt install -y mcp-kali-server

Start the Kali MCP API server. This exposes the local API on port 5000. Keep this terminal open; if you stop this process, the AI agent will lose the connection.

bash

> kali-server-mcp
[INFO] Starting Kali Linux Tools API Server on 127.0.0.1:5000
 * Serving Flask app 'server'
 * Debug mode: off
[INFO] WARNING: This is a development server. Do not use it in a production deployment. Use a production WSGI server instead.
 * Running on http://127.0.0.1:5000
2026-06-19 23:28:41,434 [INFO] Press CTRL+C to quit
2026-06-19 23:28:47,572 [INFO] Executing command: ['which', 'nmap']
2026-06-19 23:28:47,573 [INFO] Executing command: ['which', 'gobuster']
2026-06-19 23:28:47,573 [INFO] Executing command: ['which', 'dirb']
2026-06-19 23:28:47,573 [INFO] Executing command: ['which', 'nikto']
2026-06-19 23:28:47,573 [INFO] 127.0.0.1 - - [] "GET /health HTTP/1.1" 200 -

In another terminal, test the connection by running mcp-server. You should see a successful health check.

bash

mcp-server

[INFO] Initialized Kali Tools Client connecting to http://localhost:5000
[INFO] Successfully connected to Kali API server at http://localhost:5000
[INFO] Server health status: healthy
[WARNING] Not all essential tools are available on the Kali server
[WARNING] Missing tools: dirb, gobuster, nikto, nmap
[INFO] Starting MCP Kali server

Install the extra tools that the MCP server can use.

bash

sudo apt install -y dirb gobuster nikto nmap enum4linux-ng hydra john metasploit-framework sqlmap wpscan wordlists

Host Desktop Settings Windows

Go to https://claude.ai/login and download Claude Desktop before logging in. Avoid the Microsoft Store version when possible, because it may reset the JSON configuration you will edit later.

After installing Claude Desktop, log in to your account. This is required before editing the MCP connection settings.

By default, SSH can fail on Windows if the expected binary is not available. Install Git Bash so you can use SSH from the host to Kali: https://git-scm.com/install/.

Claude Desktop MCP Configuration

In Claude Desktop, click your profile icon in the bottom-left corner and go to Settings → Developer → Edit config. Replace <YOUR_KALI_IP> with your Kali VM IP.

Find your Kali IP with:

bash

ifconfig

json

"mcpServers": {
  "mcp-kali-server": {
    "command": "ssh",
    "args": [
      "[email protected]",
      "mcp-server"
    ],
    "transport": "stdio"
  }
}

Your configuration file may already contain preferences. Add the MCP configuration before the preferences object and make sure the JSON remains valid.

json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-kali-server": {
      "command": "C:\\Program Files\\Git\\usr\\bin\\ssh.exe",
      "args": [
        "kali@<YOUR_KALI_IP>",
        "mcp-server"
      ]
    }
  },
  "preferences": {
    "remoteToolsDeviceName": "orion",
    "coworkHipaaRestricted": false,
    "coworkWebSearchEnabled": true,
    "coworkScheduledTasksEnabled": false,
    "ccdScheduledTasksEnabled": false,
    "epitaxyPrefs": {
      "starred-local-code-sessions": [],
      "starred-cowork-spaces": [],
      "starred-session-groups": [],
      "dframe-local-slice": {
        "pinnedOrder": [],
        "customGroupAssignments": {},
        "customGroupOrder": {}
      }
    },
    "coworkModelAutoFallbackByAccount": {
      "<ID>": true
    },
    "bypassPermissionsGateByAccount": {
      "<ID>": false
    }
  },
  "coworkUserFilesPath": "C:\\Users\\USER\\Claude"
}

Finding the SSH Binary Path

Search for Git Bash in Windows.
Right click Git Bash and select Open file location.
Right click the shortcut and select Open file location again.
Open usr, then bin.
Search for ssh.exe.
Right click ssh.exe and select Copy as path.

Replace the command path in the JSON config. Windows paths must be escaped with double backslashes: \\.

json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-kali-server": {
      "command": "C:\\Program Files\\Git\\usr\\bin\\ssh.exe",
      "args": [
        "-i",
        "C:\\Users\\USER\\.ssh\\key1",
        "kali@<YOUR_KALI_IP>",
        "mcp-server"
      ]
    }
  },
  "preferences": {
    "remoteToolsDeviceName": "orion",
    "coworkHipaaRestricted": false,
    "coworkWebSearchEnabled": true,
    "coworkScheduledTasksEnabled": false,
    "ccdScheduledTasksEnabled": false
  },
  "coworkUserFilesPath": "C:\\Users\\USER\\Claude"
}

SSH Key Authentication

Claude needs a non-interactive SSH login. Create a key pair from Git Bash.

bash

cd ~/.ssh && ssh-keygen.exe

Generating public/private ed25519 key pair.
Enter file in which to save the key (/c/Users/USER/.ssh/id_ed25519): key1
Enter passphrase for "key1" (empty for no passphrase):
Enter same passphrase again:
Your identification has been saved in key1
Your public key has been saved in key1.pub
The key fingerprint is:
SHA256:MVt=====================GhM USER@HOST

Do not set a passphrase for this key. If you do, the SSH connection will ask for the passphrase every time Claude tries to connect, and the MCP startup will fail.

Copy the public key to your Kali VM.

bash

ssh-copy-id -i key1.pub kali@<YOUR_KALI_IP>

Test the SSH connection with the private key. After confirming access, exit and get the key path.

bash

USER@HOST ~/.ssh
$ ssh -i ./key1 'kali@<YOUR_KALI_IP>'
Kali GNU/Linux comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by applicable law.

╭── kali
╰── whoami
kali

╭── kali
╰── exit

$ pwd
/c/Users/USER/.ssh

Final Claude Desktop JSON

Add the private SSH key path to the Claude Desktop JSON config. Convert the Git Bash path to Windows format, just like the ssh.exe path.

json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-kali-server": {
      "command": "C:\\Program Files\\Git\\usr\\bin\\ssh.exe",
      "args": [
        "-i",
        "C:\\Users\\USER\\.ssh\\key1",
        "-o",
        "StrictHostKeyChecking=no",
        "kali@<YOUR_KALI_IP>",
        "mcp-server"
      ]
    }
  },
  "preferences": {
    "remoteToolsDeviceName": "orion",
    "coworkHipaaRestricted": false,
    "coworkWebSearchEnabled": true,
    "coworkScheduledTasksEnabled": false,
    "ccdScheduledTasksEnabled": false
  },
  "coworkUserFilesPath": "C:\\Users\\USER\\Claude"
}

Restart Claude Desktop

Fully close Claude Desktop and make sure it is not running in the background. Restart the application and go back to the Developer settings. You should now see the MCP server running for the Kali host.

At this point, you have a local AI pentest assistant that can use your Kali VM to run supported tools through MCP.