Content
# Nessus MCP Server
A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for interacting with **Nessus** vulnerability scanner. This server exposes Nessus functionality as MCP tools, resources, and prompts — enabling AI assistants like Claude to manage scans, analyze vulnerabilities, and generate reports.
## Features
### 🔧 Tools (30+)
| Category | Tools |
|----------|-------|
| **Authentication** | `nessus_login`, `nessus_server_info`, `nessus_server_status` |
| **Scan Management** | `nessus_list_scans`, `nessus_create_scan`, `nessus_launch_scan`, `nessus_pause_scan`, `nessus_resume_scan`, `nessus_stop_scan`, `nessus_delete_scan`, `nessus_configure_scan` |
| **Scan Results** | `nessus_get_scan_details`, `nessus_get_host_details`, `nessus_get_plugin_output`, `nessus_search_vulnerabilities`, `nessus_get_scan_history` |
| **Export** | `nessus_export_scan`, `nessus_download_export` |
| **Templates & Policies** | `nessus_list_templates`, `nessus_list_policies` |
| **Folders** | `nessus_list_folders`, `nessus_create_folder`, `nessus_delete_folder` |
| **Plugins** | `nessus_list_plugin_families`, `nessus_get_plugin_family`, `nessus_get_plugin_details`, `nessus_list_plugin_rules` |
| **System** | `nessus_list_scanners`, `nessus_list_users`, `nessus_list_timezones` |
### 📚 Resources
- `nessus://server/info` — Server metadata
- `nessus://scans/list` — All scans overview
- `nessus://templates/list` — Available scan templates
### 💡 Prompts
- `vulnerability_report` — Generate a vulnerability assessment report
- `compare_scans` — Compare two scan results
- `scan_creation_wizard` — Guided scan creation
---
## Installation
### Prerequisites
- Python 3.10+
- Nessus scanner running (tested with Nessus Expert 10.x)
- MCP SDK (`pip install mcp`)
### Setup
```bash
# Clone or copy the server files
cd nessus-mcp
# Install dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt
# Set environment variables (or use defaults)
export NESSUS_URL="https://localhost:8834"
export NESSUS_USERNAME="XXXX"
export NESSUS_PASSWORD="XXXX"
# Test the server
python nessus_mcp_server.py
```
---
## Configuration
### Claude Desktop
Add to your Claude Desktop config (`%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json` on Windows or `~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json` on macOS):
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"nessus": {
"command": "python",
"args": ["C:\\path\\to\\nessus_mcp_server.py"],
"env": {
"NESSUS_URL": "https://localhost:8834",
"NESSUS_USERNAME": "your_username",
"NESSUS_PASSWORD": "your_password"
}
}
}
}
```
### Claude Code
```bash
claude mcp add nessus -- python /path/to/nessus_mcp_server.py
```
### Environment Variables
| Variable | Default | Description |
|----------|---------|-------------|
| `NESSUS_URL` | `https://localhost:8834` | Nessus server URL |
| `NESSUS_USERNAME` | `XXXX` | Authentication username |
| `NESSUS_PASSWORD` | `XXXX` | Authentication password |
---
## Usage Examples
### List all scans
```
> Use nessus_list_scans to show me all current scans
```
### Create and launch a scan
```
> Create a basic network scan targeting 192.168.1.0/24 named "Internal Network Audit"
> Then launch it
```
### Analyze scan results
```
> Show me the details of scan 5, focusing on critical and high severity findings
```
### Search for specific vulnerabilities
```
> Search scan 5 for any SSL/TLS related vulnerabilities
```
### Export results
```
> Export scan 5 as a CSV file
```
### Get plugin details
```
> Show me details about Nessus plugin 10287
```
---
## Architecture
```
┌─────────────────┐ stdio ┌──────────────────┐ HTTPS/REST ┌─────────────┐
│ Claude / LLM │ ◄────────────► │ Nessus MCP │ ◄──────────────► │ Nessus │
│ (MCP Client) │ │ Server │ │ Scanner │
└─────────────────┘ └──────────────────┘ └─────────────┘
```
- **Transport**: stdio (standard input/output)
- **Auth**: Session-based token authentication with Nessus API
- **SSL**: Self-signed certificate validation is disabled (standard for local Nessus)
---
## Security Notes
- Credentials are passed via environment variables (not hardcoded in production)
- SSL certificate verification is disabled to support Nessus's self-signed certificates
- The server authenticates once and reuses the session token
- For production use, consider implementing token rotation and secure credential storage
---
## API Coverage
This server covers the core Nessus REST API endpoints:
| Endpoint | Methods | Covered |
|----------|---------|---------|
| `/session` | POST | ✅ |
| `/server/properties` | GET | ✅ |
| `/server/status` | GET | ✅ |
| `/scans` | GET, POST | ✅ |
| `/scans/{id}` | GET, PUT, DELETE | ✅ |
| `/scans/{id}/launch` | POST | ✅ |
| `/scans/{id}/pause` | POST | ✅ |
| `/scans/{id}/resume` | POST | ✅ |
| `/scans/{id}/stop` | POST | ✅ |
| `/scans/{id}/export` | POST | ✅ |
| `/scans/{id}/hosts/{id}` | GET | ✅ |
| `/scans/{id}/hosts/{id}/plugins/{id}` | GET | ✅ |
| `/editor/scan/templates` | GET | ✅ |
| `/policies` | GET | ✅ |
| `/folders` | GET, POST, DELETE | ✅ |
| `/plugins/families` | GET | ✅ |
| `/plugins/families/{id}` | GET | ✅ |
| `/plugins/plugin/{id}` | GET | ✅ |
| `/plugin-rules` | GET | ✅ |
| `/scanners` | GET | ✅ |
| `/users` | GET | ✅ |
| `/scans/timezones` | GET | ✅ |
---
## License
MIT License
