PentestAI

PentestAI is a CLI-first, AI-assisted penetration testing framework for Linux.

It combines real-world pentest tools with multiple LLM providers to assist with analysis, triage, validation, and reporting — without replacing the pentester.

Human-in-the-loop by design.

What PentestAI Is (and Is Not)

PentestAI IS

• A CLI tool for authorized penetration testing
• AI-assisted analysis, validation, triage, and reporting
• Built on real tools: subfinder, httpx, nmap, nuclei
• Safe-by-default, scope-aware

PentestAI IS NOT

• An auto-exploitation framework
• A payload generator
• A replacement for human decision-making

Requirements

• Linux (Parrot / Kali / Ubuntu recommended)
• Python 3.12+
• The following tools available in $PATH:
  • subfinder
  • httpx
  • nmap
  • nuclei

Installation (Recommended)

pip install pentestai-cli

Verify installation:

pentestai --help

API Keys Configuration (REQUIRED)

PentestAI uses environment variables for AI providers.

You must export at least one API key before running.

OpenAI (default)

export OPENAI_API_KEY="sk-..."

(Optional – persist across sessions)

echo 'export OPENAI_API_KEY="sk-..."' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

Optional Providers

export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-ant-..."
export GEMINI_API_KEY="AIza..."
export DEEPSEEK_API_KEY="sk-..."

PentestAI will automatically route AI requests based on availability.

Workspace Behavior (Automatic)

PentestAI automatically creates a workspace directory per target.

Default location:

/home/<user>/workspaces/

Example:

/home/user/workspaces/example.com/
├── recon/
├── scan/
├── validate/
└── reports/

You do not need to create this manually.

Quick Start

PentestAI can be run from any directory.

Reconnaissance

pentestai recon run --target example.com

AI Attack Surface Analysis

pentestai surface analyze --target example.com

Vulnerability Scanning

pentestai scan run --target example.com

Validation & Triage (AI-assisted)

pentestai validate run --target example.com

Report Generation

pentestai report build --target example.com

Reports are written to:

~/workspaces/example.com/reports/report.md

Required External Tools

Ensure the following tools are installed:

which subfinder httpx nmap nuclei

Design Philosophy

• CLI-first
• Human-in-the-loop
• Safe-by-default
• AI assists analysis — never auto-exploits
• Works anywhere on the filesystem

Legal & Ethical Use

PentestAI must only be used on systems you own or have explicit authorization to test.

Notes for Advanced Users

• No config.yaml required for default usage
• Workspace paths are auto-resolved per user
• AI provider routing is handled internally
• Future versions may expose optional configuration overrides

Contributing

Contributions are welcome.

You can contribute by:

• Adding tool integrations
• Improving AI prompts
• Improving reports
• Improving documentation

License

MIT License See LICENSE.

Why PentestAI?

PentestAI is built for:

• Students learning real pentest workflows
• Security interns & junior pentesters
• Professionals who want faster analysis and cleaner reports
• Open-source contributors interested in AI + security

If PentestAI helps you, consider starring the project