pentest-cli-reference

pentest-cli Command Reference

Complete command reference for pentest-cli. Always use --json for machine-readable output. Always use -k to disable SSL verification warnings.

Installation Check

pentest --version  # Should print "pentest-cli v1.0.0"

If not installed:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/sabania/pentest-cli/main/install.sh | bash
export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"

Global Flags (BEFORE the command group)

pentest [GLOBAL FLAGS] <group> <command> <url>

Flag	Short	Description
--json	-j	JSON output to stdout (for parsing)
--verbose	-v	Verbose output
--active		Enable active testing (sends payloads)
--yes	-y	Auto-confirm active testing consent
--output-dir DIR	-o	Save findings to directory
--timeout N	-t	HTTP timeout seconds (default: 30)
--insecure	-k	Disable SSL verification
--rate-limit N		Seconds between requests
--threads N		Max concurrent threads (default: 10)

Command Groups

pentest recon (Reconnaissance)

pentest -k -j recon subdomains <domain>    # crt.sh + DNS brute + dnsrecon
pentest -k -j recon ports <domain>         # nmap port scan (top 1000)
pentest -k -j recon dns <domain>           # DNS records, zone transfer, SPF/DMARC
pentest -k -j recon whois <domain>         # WHOIS lookup
pentest -k -j recon crawl <url>            # Web crawling, URL discovery
pentest -k -j recon osint <domain>         # Google dorks, Wayback, emails

pentest scan (Vulnerability Scanning)

pentest -k -j scan headers <url>           # Security headers (CSP, HSTS, SRI)
pentest -k -j scan ssl <domain>            # TLS protocols, certs, ciphers
pentest -k -j scan cors <url>              # CORS misconfiguration
pentest -k -j scan nikto <url>             # Nikto web server scanner
pentest -k -j scan nuclei <url>            # Nuclei (9000+ templates)

pentest discover (Discovery)

pentest -k -j discover bundle <url>        # JS bundles: source maps, API keys, secrets
pentest -k -j discover api <url>           # API docs, GraphQL, error disclosure
pentest -k -j discover graphql <url>       # GraphQL introspection + attacks
pentest -k -j discover fuzz <url>          # Content discovery (requires --active)
pentest -k -j discover tech <url>          # Technology fingerprinting (whatweb)

pentest inject (Injection Testing - requires --active --yes)

pentest -k -j --active --yes inject sqli <url>    # SQL injection (+ sqlmap)
pentest -k -j --active --yes inject xss <url>     # Cross-site scripting
pentest -k -j --active --yes inject ssti <url>    # Server-side template injection
pentest -k -j --active --yes inject cmdi <url>    # OS command injection
pentest -k -j --active --yes inject ssrf <url>    # Server-side request forgery
pentest -k -j --active --yes inject xxe <url>     # XML external entity
pentest -k -j --active --yes inject nosql <url>   # NoSQL injection
pentest -k -j --active --yes inject lfi <url>     # Local file inclusion / path traversal

pentest auth (Authentication)

pentest -k -j auth jwt <token>             # JWT token analysis (no URL needed)
pentest -k -j auth oauth <url>             # OAuth/OIDC vulnerability testing
pentest -k -j auth session <url>           # Session management testing
pentest -k -j --active --yes auth brute <url>  # Credential brute force (hydra)

pentest advanced (Advanced Attacks)

pentest -k -j --active --yes advanced smuggle <url>    # HTTP request smuggling
pentest -k -j --active --yes advanced race <url>       # Race conditions
pentest -k -j advanced cache <url>                     # Cache poisoning
pentest -k -j advanced takeover <domain>               # Subdomain takeover
pentest -k -j advanced websocket <url>                 # WebSocket security
pentest -k -j --active --yes advanced redirect <url>   # Open redirect

pentest cloud (Cloud & Infrastructure)

pentest -k -j cloud storage <url>          # S3/Azure/GCS misconfiguration
pentest -k -j cloud waf <url>              # WAF detection
pentest -k -j cloud email <domain>         # SPF, DKIM, DMARC

Top-Level Commands

pentest -k -j baas <url>                   # Supabase/Firebase/Convex probing
pentest -k -j -o ./findings full <url>     # Full pentest (all commands)
pentest report ./findings/                 # Generate PDF report

JSON Output Shape

Every command returns this structure on stdout when --json is used:

{
  "target": "https://example.com",
  "scan_type": "headers",
  "timestamp": "2026-03-20T01:37:27.836758+00:00",
  "duration_seconds": 0.29,
  "summary": {
    "critical": 0, "high": 2, "medium": 3, "low": 1, "info": 0, "total": 6
  },
  "findings": [
    {
      "id": "HDR-CONTENT_SECURITY_POLICY-MISSING",
      "title": "Missing Content-Security-Policy Header",
      "severity": "high",
      "confidence": "confirmed",
      "category": "headers",
      "description": "No CSP header found...",
      "evidence": "Header 'content-security-policy' not found in response",
      "remediation": "Add Content-Security-Policy header...",
      "url": "https://example.com",
      "owasp_id": "WSTG-CONF-12",
      "cwe": "CWE-693"
    }
  ],
  "metadata": {}
}

Exit Codes

Code	Meaning
0	Clean - no critical/high findings
1	CRITICAL findings found
2	HIGH findings found
3	Error (connection failed, tool missing)
4	Active testing consent denied

Optional Tool Integrations

The CLI auto-detects these tools when available:

Tool	Used by	Fallback
nmap	recon ports	Python socket scan
sqlmap	inject sqli	Built-in probes
hydra	auth brute	Not available
nikto	scan nikto	Not available
nuclei	scan nuclei	Not available
whatweb	discover tech	Built-in fingerprinting
dnsrecon	recon subdomains	Built-in DNS brute