Commands

All commands are available via npx pwnkit-cli <command>. You can also skip the subcommand and let auto-detect figure it out (see Getting Started).

scan

Probe AI/LLM apps, web apps, APIs, or MCP servers for vulnerabilities.

# Scan an LLM API
npx pwnkit-cli scan --target https://api.example.com/chat

# Scan a traditional web app
npx pwnkit-cli scan --target https://example.com --mode web

# Deep scan with Claude Code CLI
npx pwnkit-cli scan --target https://api.example.com/chat --depth deep --runtime claude

# Authenticated scan using a bearer token
npx pwnkit-cli scan --target https://api.example.com \
  --auth '{"type":"bearer","token":"eyJhbGciOi..."}'

# Scan an API with an OpenAPI spec pre-loaded
npx pwnkit-cli scan --target https://api.example.com --api-spec ./openapi.yaml

# Run 5 attack strategies in parallel — first to succeed wins
npx pwnkit-cli scan --target https://example.com --mode web --race

# Evidence-Gated Attack Tree Search (EGATS)
npx pwnkit-cli scan --target https://example.com --mode web --egats

# Abort cleanly if the scan exceeds a USD ceiling
npx pwnkit-cli scan --target https://example.com --mode web --cost-ceiling 5

# Export findings to GitHub Issues
npx pwnkit-cli scan --target https://example.com --mode web \
  --export github:myorg/myrepo

# Generate an HTML report (auto-opens in browser)
npx pwnkit-cli scan --target https://example.com --mode web \
  --format html

Key flags:

Flag	Description	Default
--target <url>	The URL or mcp:// endpoint to scan	(required)
--mode <mode>	Scan mode: probe, deep, mcp, web	auto
--depth <depth>	Scan depth: quick, default, deep	default
--runtime <rt>	Runtime: auto, api, claude, codex, gemini	auto
--format <fmt>	Output format: terminal, json, md, html, sarif, pdf	terminal
--timeout <ms>	Request timeout in milliseconds	30000
--api-key <key>	API key for the LLM provider	(from env)
--model <model>	Specific LLM model to use	provider default
--repo <path>	Local source code path for white-box scanning	(none)
--auth <json>	Authenticated scanning credentials (see below)	(none)
--api-spec <path>	Path to an OpenAPI 3.x / Swagger 2.0 spec (JSON or YAML)	(none)
--export <target>	Export findings to an issue tracker, e.g. github:owner/repo	(none)
--race	Best-of-N: run 5 attack strategies in parallel, first-to-succeed wins	false
--egats	Evidence-Gated Attack Tree Search (beam search over hypothesis tree)	false
--cost-ceiling <usd>	Hard USD ceiling; aborts cleanly with partial findings preserved if exceeded	(none)
--db-path <path>	Path to SQLite database	~/.pwnkit/pwnkit.db
--verbose	Show animated attack replay and detailed agent reasoning	false
--replay	Replay the last scan’s results without re-running	false

--auth credential formats

The --auth flag accepts either an inline JSON string or a path to a JSON file. Four credential types are supported:

# Bearer token
--auth '{"type":"bearer","token":"eyJhbGciOi..."}'

# Session cookie
--auth '{"type":"cookie","value":"session=abc123; csrf=def456"}'

# HTTP Basic auth
--auth '{"type":"basic","username":"admin","password":"hunter2"}'

# Custom header (e.g. API key)
--auth '{"type":"header","name":"X-API-Key","value":"sk_live_..."}'

# Or load from a file
--auth ./auth.json

--api-spec — OpenAPI / Swagger import

Point --api-spec at an OpenAPI 3.x or Swagger 2.0 document (JSON or YAML). pwnkit will parse the spec, extract all endpoints with their parameter schemas and auth requirements, and seed the recon phase with that knowledge so the agent starts pentesting with full endpoint awareness instead of having to crawl.

npx pwnkit-cli scan --target https://api.example.com --api-spec ./openapi.yaml

--race — best-of-N strategy racing

With --race, pwnkit spawns 5 attack strategies in parallel against the same target. The first agent to confirm a finding wins; the others are terminated. Ideal for hard targets where a single linear attack plan gets stuck.

--egats — Evidence-Gated Attack Tree Search

EGATS performs a beam search over a tree of attack hypotheses, pruning branches that fail evidence checks. Slower than --race but much more thorough.

--cost-ceiling — hard spend guardrail

Set a hard per-scan USD ceiling:

npx pwnkit-cli scan --target https://example.com --mode web --cost-ceiling 5

If cumulative estimated spend exceeds the ceiling, pwnkit:

• preserves findings collected so far
• exits with status code 4
• emits exit_reason: "cost_ceiling_exceeded" in the machine-readable result line

The CLI flag overrides PWNKIT_COST_CEILING_USD.

--export github:owner/repo

Pushes every confirmed finding to a GitHub repo as an issue, with severity labels, evidence blocks, and reproduction steps. Requires GITHUB_TOKEN in the environment with repo scope.

audit

Install and security-audit any npm package with static analysis and AI review.

npx pwnkit-cli audit express --version 4.18.2
npx pwnkit-cli audit react --depth deep --runtime claude
npx pwnkit-cli audit left-pad --format html

The package is installed in a sandbox, scanned with semgrep, and then reviewed by an AI agent that traces data flow and looks for supply-chain vulnerabilities.

Key flags:

Flag	Description	Default
<package>	npm package name	(required)
--version <v>	Specific version to audit	latest
--depth <d>	Audit depth: quick, default, deep	default
--runtime <rt>	Runtime: auto, api, claude, codex, gemini	auto
--format <fmt>	Output format: terminal, json, md, html, sarif, pdf	terminal
--timeout <ms>	AI agent timeout in milliseconds	600000
--api-key <key>	API key for the LLM provider	(from env)
--model <model>	Specific LLM model to use	provider default
--cost-ceiling <usd>	Hard USD ceiling; aborts cleanly with partial findings preserved if exceeded	(none)
--db-path <path>	Path to SQLite database	~/.pwnkit/pwnkit.db
--verbose	Detailed agent output	false

review

Deep source code security review of a local repo or GitHub URL.

# Review a local directory
npx pwnkit-cli review ./my-ai-app

# Review a GitHub repo (cloned automatically)
npx pwnkit-cli review https://github.com/user/repo

# Diff-aware review against a base branch
npx pwnkit-cli review ./my-repo --diff-base origin/main --changed-only

Key flags:

Flag	Description	Default
<repo>	Local path or git URL	(required)
--depth <d>	Review depth: quick, default, deep	default
--format <fmt>	Output format: terminal, json, md, html, sarif, pdf	terminal
--runtime <rt>	Runtime: auto, api, claude, codex, gemini	auto
--diff-base <ref>	Git base ref for diff-aware review	(none)
--changed-only	Restrict semgrep + prioritization to changed files	false
--timeout <ms>	AI agent timeout in milliseconds	600000
--api-key <key>	API key for LLM provider	(from env)
--model <model>	Specific LLM model to use	provider default
--cost-ceiling <usd>	Hard USD ceiling; aborts cleanly with partial findings preserved if exceeded	(none)
--db-path <path>	Path to SQLite database	~/.pwnkit/pwnkit.db
--verbose	Detailed agent output	false

triage

Triage findings and manage learned false-positive memories. Every time you mark a finding as a false positive, pwnkit stores a pattern that future verify passes will consult — think Semgrep’s nosemgrep but learned automatically.

# Create a memory from an existing finding
pwnkit-cli triage memory add --finding NF-001 --reason "test fixture, not reachable in prod"

# List all memories
pwnkit-cli triage memory list
pwnkit-cli triage memory list --scope target --category xss

# Delete a memory
pwnkit-cli triage memory remove <memory-id>

# Mark a finding as FP and auto-create a memory
pwnkit-cli triage mark-fp NF-042 --reason "known sandbox echo endpoint"

triage memory add

Flag	Description	Default
--finding <id>	Finding ID (full or prefix) to derive the memory from	(required)
--reason <text>	Why this finding is a false positive	(required)
--scope <scope>	Memory scope: global, target, package	target
--scope-value <v>	Scope identifier (target URL or package name)	(inferred)
--db-path <path>	Path to SQLite database	default

triage memory list

Flag	Description
--scope <scope>	Filter by scope: global, target, package
--category <cat>	Filter by vulnerability category
--db-path <path>	Path to SQLite database

triage memory remove <id> — deletes a memory by its ID.

triage mark-fp <finding-id> — flips a finding’s triage status to suppressed and auto-creates a memory.

Flag	Description	Default
--reason <text>	Why this finding is a false positive	(required)
--scope <scope>	Memory scope	target
--scope-value <v>	Scope identifier	(inferred)

Enable memory injection into the verify pipeline with PWNKIT_FEATURE_TRIAGE_MEMORIES=1 (see Configuration).

resume

Resume a persisted review or audit scan by its scan ID.

npx pwnkit-cli resume <scan-id>

Useful when a long-running deep scan was interrupted or when you want to continue where a previous run left off.

dashboard

Open the local verification workbench for board-based triage, evidence review, and scan provenance.

npx pwnkit-cli dashboard
npx pwnkit-cli dashboard --port 48123

The dashboard provides a Kanban-style board for triaging findings, reviewing evidence, and tracking active scans. It runs entirely locally.

Key flags:

Flag	Description	Default
--port <port>	Port to bind	48123
--host <host>	Host to bind	127.0.0.1
--no-open	Do not auto-open a browser	(opens by default)
--db-path <path>	Path to SQLite database	~/.pwnkit/pwnkit.db

history

Browse past scans with status, depth, findings count, and duration.

npx pwnkit-cli history
npx pwnkit-cli history --limit 20

Flag	Description	Default
--limit <n>	Number of scans to show	10

findings

Query, filter, and inspect verified findings across all scans. Findings are persisted in a local SQLite database.

# List all findings
npx pwnkit-cli findings list

# Filter by severity
npx pwnkit-cli findings list --severity critical

# Filter by category and status
npx pwnkit-cli findings list --category prompt-injection --status confirmed

# Inspect a specific finding with full evidence
npx pwnkit-cli findings show NF-001

# Triage findings
npx pwnkit-cli findings accept <finding-id> --note "confirmed and tracked"
npx pwnkit-cli findings suppress <finding-id> --note "known test fixture"
npx pwnkit-cli findings reopen <finding-id>

Finding lifecycle: discovered -> verified -> confirmed -> scored -> reported (or false-positive if verification fails).

Subcommands:

Subcommand	Description
list	List findings with optional filters
show <id>	Show a finding with full evidence
accept <id>	Accept a finding as confirmed
suppress <id>	Suppress a finding (known FP or accepted risk)
reopen <id>	Reopen a previously suppressed finding

XBOW benchmark runner

The XBOW benchmark runner lives in packages/benchmark and is invoked with pnpm --filter @pwnkit/benchmark xbow. It runs pwnkit against the 104 XBOW validation challenges and reports pass/fail with evidence.

# Run the whole benchmark
pnpm --filter @pwnkit/benchmark xbow

# Run a specific subset of challenges
pnpm --filter @pwnkit/benchmark xbow --only XBEN-010,XBEN-051,XBEN-066

# Skip the first 20 challenges (useful for resuming)
pnpm --filter @pwnkit/benchmark xbow --start 20

# Include full finding objects in results JSON (for offline analysis)
pnpm --filter @pwnkit/benchmark xbow --save-findings

Flag	Description	Default
--only <ids>	Comma-separated challenge IDs to run	(all 104)
--start <n>	Skip the first n challenges	0
--save-findings	Include full finding objects in the results JSON	false