hexstrike-ai MCP — Use Cases, Install & Live Demo

Why use it

Key features

150+ integrated security tools across network, web, binary, cloud, OSINT, and forensics
12+ autonomous AI agents for intelligent decision-making and workflow management
Real-time dashboard with live monitoring and vulnerability reporting
Smart result caching with LRU eviction for performance
Headless Chrome integration for dynamic web application testing

Live Demo

What it looks like in practice

hexstrike-ai.replay ▶ ready

0/0

Install

Pick your client

~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json · Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "hexstrike-ai": {
      "command": "TODO",
      "args": [
        "See README: https://github.com/0x4m4/hexstrike-ai"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Developer → Edit Config. Restart after saving.

~/.cursor/mcp.json · .cursor/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "hexstrike-ai": {
      "command": "TODO",
      "args": [
        "See README: https://github.com/0x4m4/hexstrike-ai"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Cursor uses the same mcpServers schema as Claude Desktop. Project config wins over global.

VS Code → Cline → MCP Servers → Edit

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "hexstrike-ai": {
      "command": "TODO",
      "args": [
        "See README: https://github.com/0x4m4/hexstrike-ai"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Click the MCP Servers icon in the Cline sidebar, then "Edit Configuration".

~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "hexstrike-ai": {
      "command": "TODO",
      "args": [
        "See README: https://github.com/0x4m4/hexstrike-ai"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Same shape as Claude Desktop. Restart Windsurf to pick up changes.

~/.continue/config.json

{
  "mcpServers": [
    {
      "name": "hexstrike-ai",
      "command": "TODO",
      "args": [
        "See README: https://github.com/0x4m4/hexstrike-ai"
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Continue uses an array of server objects rather than a map.

~/.config/zed/settings.json

{
  "context_servers": {
    "hexstrike-ai": {
      "command": {
        "path": "TODO",
        "args": [
          "See README: https://github.com/0x4m4/hexstrike-ai"
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}

Add to context_servers. Zed hot-reloads on save.

claude mcp add hexstrike-ai -- TODO 'See README: https://github.com/0x4m4/hexstrike-ai'

One-liner. Verify with claude mcp list. Remove with claude mcp remove.

Use Cases

Real-world ways to use hexstrike-ai

How to solve a multi-stage CTF challenge with HexStrike AI

👤 CTF participants working on security challenges ⏱ ~60 min intermediate

When to use: You have a CTF target and need to enumerate, scan, and exploit in a structured way.

Prerequisites

HexStrike AI installed in a sandboxed environment — Clone and pip install in a VM or container
Target is a CTF challenge you are authorized to test — Only use on CTF platforms or labs you have permission to test

Flow

Reconnaissance

Run an Nmap scan on the CTF target at 10.10.10.1. Identify open ports and services.✓ Copied

→ Port scan results with service versions
Web enumeration

The target has a web server on port 80. Run Gobuster for directory enumeration and Nikto for vulnerability scanning.✓ Copied

→ Discovered directories and potential vulnerabilities
Exploitation assistance

Found a login page at /admin. Run Hydra with the top-1000 passwords list against it.✓ Copied

→ Login attempt results

Outcome: Systematic enumeration and exploitation path for the CTF challenge.

Pitfalls

Running aggressive scans that crash the CTF target — Use moderate scan speeds and timing options (Nmap -T3 instead of -T5)

Combine with: filesystem

Perform an authorized web application security assessment

👤 Security professionals with written authorization to test a web application ⏱ ~120 min advanced

When to use: You have a signed agreement to test a client's web application.

Prerequisites

Written authorization for the target — Signed penetration testing agreement from the target owner
HexStrike AI configured — Install and configure in an isolated environment

Flow

Vulnerability scanning

Run Nuclei against https://target.example.com with default templates. Focus on critical and high severity findings.✓ Copied

→ List of discovered vulnerabilities with severity ratings
SQL injection testing

Test the login endpoint for SQL injection using SQLMap.✓ Copied

→ SQLMap results showing injectable parameters or confirming the endpoint is secure

Outcome: A documented list of vulnerabilities found during authorized testing.

Pitfalls

Testing outside the agreed scope — Always reference your authorization document. Only test explicitly listed assets.

Combine with: filesystem

Combinations

Pair with other MCPs for X10 leverage

hexstrike-ai + filesystem

Save scan results and generate a penetration testing report

Run a full assessment on the target, save all results, and generate a professional pentest report as a markdown file.✓ Copied

Tools

What this MCP exposes

Tool	Inputs	When to call
nmap_scan	target: str, options?: str	Network port scanning and service detection
nuclei_scan	target: str, templates?: str	Automated vulnerability scanning with templates
sqlmap_test	url: str, params?: str	SQL injection detection and exploitation testing
gobuster_dir	url: str, wordlist?: str	Directory and file brute-force enumeration
hydra_attack	target: str, service: str, userlist?: str, passlist?: str	Password brute-force testing on services

Cost & Limits

What this costs to run

API quota: N/A — all tools run locally
Tokens per call: 500–3000 tokens per scan result
Monetary: Free — all tools are open source. Some tools (Shodan) need their own API keys.
Tip: Run targeted scans instead of full-spectrum sweeps to reduce noise and time.

Security

Permissions, secrets, blast radius

Credential storage: Individual tool API keys (Shodan, etc.) in environment variables

Data egress: Network scans connect to target systems. OSINT tools call their respective APIs.

⚠ This tool is designed for authorized security research, CTF competitions, and defensive analysis only. Do not use it against systems you don't own or have written authorization to test.
These are real offensive security tools — unauthorized use is illegal in most jurisdictions.
Always run in an isolated environment (VM, Docker) to prevent accidental exposure.
Some tools (Hydra, Hashcat) perform brute-force attacks — only use on systems you're authorized to test.

Troubleshooting

Common errors and fixes

Tool not found / command not available

Many tools must be installed separately on your system. Install them via your package manager (apt, brew) or from source.

Verify: which nmap && which nuclei && which sqlmap

Scan timeout

Reduce scan scope or increase timeout. Use -T3 for Nmap instead of default timing.

Verify: Try a simple ping or single-port scan first

Permission denied on scan

Some scans (SYN scan) require root. Run with sudo or switch to a less privileged scan type.

Verify: sudo nmap -sS target

Alternatives

hexstrike-ai vs others

Alternative	When to use it instead	Tradeoff
mcp-security-hub	You want Dockerized security tools with better isolation and CI/CD integration	Better containerization but may require more setup
mcp-kali-server	You want a lightweight API bridge to a full Kali Linux installation	Full Kali toolkit but less AI agent specialization

More

Resources

📖 Read the official README on GitHub

🐙 Browse open issues

🔍 Browse all 400+ MCP servers and Skills