CLI Options

AutoPentestX provides several command-line options to customize the penetration testing process. This page documents every available flag with defaults and usage examples.

Required Arguments

Target Specification

-t, --target

string

required

Target IP address or domain name to perform penetration testing againstFormat: IPv4 address or fully qualified domain name (FQDN)Examples:

python3 main.py -t 192.168.1.100
python3 main.py --target example.com

Optional Arguments

Tester Name

-n, --tester-name

string

default:"AutoPentestX Team"

Name of the penetration tester to include in generated reportsThis value appears in:

PDF report headers
Database scan records
Executive summaries

Examples:

python3 main.py -t 192.168.1.100 -n "John Doe"
python3 main.py -t 192.168.1.100 --tester-name "Security Team"

Report Branding Example

With custom tester name:

python3 main.py -t 192.168.1.100 -n "Red Team - Q1 2026"

PDF Report Output:

╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║     SECURITY PENETRATION TEST REPORT             ║
║                                                  ║
║  Performed by: Red Team - Q1 2026               ║
║  Target: 192.168.1.100                          ║
║  Date: March 11, 2026                           ║
╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════╝

Safe Mode Control

--no-safe-mode

boolean

default:"false"

Disable safe mode protections (NOT RECOMMENDED)Default Behavior: Safe mode is ENABLED by defaultSafe Mode Protections:

Confirmation prompt before scanning
Rate limiting on aggressive scans
Prevents accidental destructive operations
Legal warning displays

Usage:

# Disable safe mode (dangerous)
python3 main.py -t 192.168.1.100 --no-safe-mode

Use --no-safe-mode with extreme caution!Disabling safe mode:

Removes confirmation prompts
Increases risk of unauthorized scanning
May violate compliance requirements
Could lead to legal issues

Only disable safe mode when:

Running in fully automated CI/CD pipelines
Testing in isolated lab environments
You have comprehensive authorization

Web Scanning Control

--skip-web

boolean

default:"false"

Skip web vulnerability scanning modules (Nikto and SQLMap)Skipped Modules:

Nikto web server scanner
SQLMap SQL injection testing
Web application fingerprinting
CMS vulnerability detection

Use Cases:

Target has no web services
Time-constrained assessments
Network infrastructure focus
Web testing handled separately

Usage:

python3 main.py -t 192.168.1.100 --skip-web

Time Savings: 5-10 minutes per scan

When to use --skip-web:✅ Good scenarios:

Network devices (routers, switches, firewalls)
Database servers without web interfaces
Quick reconnaissance sweeps
IoT devices without HTTP services

❌ Avoid when:

Target runs web applications
Testing web servers or APIs
Comprehensive assessments required
Unknown service landscape

Exploitation Control

--skip-exploit

boolean

default:"false"

Skip exploitation assessment and Metasploit RC script generationSkipped Functionality:

CVE exploitability analysis
Metasploit module matching
RC script generation for manual exploitation
Risk-based exploit prioritization

Use Cases:

Read-only security assessments
Compliance scans
Initial reconnaissance
Vulnerability enumeration only

Usage:

python3 main.py -t 192.168.1.100 --skip-exploit

Time Savings: 2-5 minutes per scan

Important: Even with --skip-exploit, AutoPentestX still:

Performs CVE lookups
Calculates risk scores
Identifies vulnerabilities
Generates comprehensive reports

Only the exploitation assessment phase is skipped.

Version Information

--version

boolean

Display AutoPentestX version number and exitUsage:

python3 main.py --version

Output:

AutoPentestX v1.0

Help Display

-h, --help

boolean

Show help message with all available options and exitUsage:

python3 main.py --help
python3 main.py -h

Option Combinations

Speed-Optimized Scanning

python3 main.py -t 192.168.1.100 --skip-web --skip-exploit

Customized Testing Scenarios

Network Device
Web Server
Database Server
Compliance Scan

# Router/Switch/Firewall Assessment
python3 main.py -t 192.168.1.1 \
  --skip-web \
  --skip-exploit \
  -n "Network Security Audit"

Rationale:

Network devices rarely run web applications
Exploitation may disrupt network operations
Focus on configuration and service hardening

# Complete Web Application Testing
python3 main.py -t web.example.com \
  -n "Application Security Team"

Rationale:

Includes Nikto and SQLMap scanning
Full exploitation assessment
Comprehensive web vulnerability detection

# Database Security Assessment
python3 main.py -t 192.168.1.50 \
  --skip-web \
  -n "Database Security Audit"

Rationale:

Skip web modules (no HTTP services)
Include exploitation for privilege escalation
Focus on network service vulnerabilities

# Read-Only Vulnerability Assessment
python3 main.py -t 192.168.1.100 \
  --skip-exploit \
  -n "Quarterly Compliance Scan"

Rationale:

No exploitation attempts (compliance requirement)
Full vulnerability detection
Safe for production environments

Advanced Usage Patterns

Automated Scanning

#!/bin/bash
# Automated scanning script for multiple targets

TARGETS=("192.168.1.100" "192.168.1.101" "192.168.1.102")
TESTER="Automated Security Scanner"

for target in "${TARGETS[@]}"; do
  echo "[*] Scanning $target..."
  python3 main.py -t "$target" \
    -n "$TESTER" \
    --no-safe-mode \
    --skip-exploit
  
  echo "[✓] Completed: $target"
  echo "-----------------------------------"
done

echo "[✓] All scans complete. Check reports/ directory."

Automation Considerations:

Use --no-safe-mode to bypass interactive prompts
Implement proper authorization checks
Add logging and error handling
Consider rate limiting between scans
Ensure sufficient disk space for reports

CI/CD Integration

# GitLab CI Example
security_scan:
  stage: test
  image: python:3.10
  script:
    - cd AutoPentestX
    - ./install.sh
    - source venv/bin/activate
    - python3 main.py -t staging.example.com \
        --no-safe-mode \
        --skip-exploit \
        -n "CI/CD Security Pipeline"
  artifacts:
    paths:
      - reports/*.pdf
      - database/autopentestx.db
    expire_in: 30 days
  only:
    - develop
    - main

Wrapper Script with Options

The autopentestx.sh wrapper script accepts the same options:

# Using wrapper script
./autopentestx.sh 192.168.1.100 --skip-web -n "Security Team"

# Equivalent Python command
python3 main.py -t 192.168.1.100 --skip-web -n "Security Team"

Wrapper Script Benefits:

Automatic virtual environment handling
Enhanced logging to logs/ directory
Legal warning display
Exit code handling
Timestamped log files

Option Summary Table

Flag	Short	Type	Default	Required	Description
`--target`	`-t`	string	-	✅ Yes	Target IP or domain
`--tester-name`	`-n`	string	`AutoPentestX Team`	❌ No	Tester name for reports
`--no-safe-mode`	-	boolean	`false`	❌ No	Disable safety checks
`--skip-web`	-	boolean	`false`	❌ No	Skip Nikto/SQLMap
`--skip-exploit`	-	boolean	`false`	❌ No	Skip exploitation
`--version`	-	boolean	-	❌ No	Show version
`--help`	`-h`	boolean	-	❌ No	Show help message

Environment Variables

AutoPentestX does not currently support environment variable configuration. All options must be specified via command-line flags.

Feature Request: If you need environment variable support for CI/CD integration, please open an issue on the GitHub repository.

Error Handling

Missing Required Argument

python3 main.py

Error:

usage: main.py [-h] -t TARGET [-n TESTER_NAME] [--no-safe-mode]
               [--skip-web] [--skip-exploit] [--version]
main.py: error: the following arguments are required: -t/--target

Invalid Option

python3 main.py -t 192.168.1.100 --invalid-flag

Error:

main.py: error: unrecognized arguments: --invalid-flag

Conflicting Options

There are no conflicting options in AutoPentestX. All flags can be combined freely.

Best Practices

Always use -n flag for audit trail documentation
Start with --skip-exploit in production environments
Use --skip-web for non-HTTP services
Keep safe mode enabled unless automating
Review --help output before complex scans
Document authorization for each target

Examples

Real-world command examples

Target Specification

How to specify scan targets

Safe Mode

Understand safety mechanisms

Automation

CI/CD and scripting integration

CLI Commands

Modules

Output & Reports

Required Arguments

Target Specification

Optional Arguments

Tester Name

Safe Mode Control

Web Scanning Control

Exploitation Control

Version Information

Help Display

Option Combinations

Speed-Optimized Scanning

Customized Testing Scenarios

Advanced Usage Patterns

Automated Scanning

CI/CD Integration

Wrapper Script with Options

Option Summary Table

Environment Variables

Error Handling

Missing Required Argument

Invalid Option

Conflicting Options

Best Practices

Examples

Target Specification

Safe Mode

Automation

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

CLI Commands

Modules

Output & Reports

​Required Arguments

​Target Specification

​Optional Arguments

​Tester Name

​Safe Mode Control

​Web Scanning Control

​Exploitation Control

​Version Information

​Help Display

​Option Combinations

​Speed-Optimized Scanning

​Customized Testing Scenarios

​Advanced Usage Patterns

​Automated Scanning

​CI/CD Integration

​Wrapper Script with Options

​Option Summary Table

​Environment Variables

​Error Handling

​Missing Required Argument

​Invalid Option

​Conflicting Options

​Best Practices

​Related Topics

Examples

Target Specification

Safe Mode

Automation

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Required Arguments

Target Specification

Optional Arguments

Tester Name

Safe Mode Control

Web Scanning Control

Exploitation Control

Version Information

Help Display

Option Combinations

Speed-Optimized Scanning

Customized Testing Scenarios

Advanced Usage Patterns

Automated Scanning

CI/CD Integration

Wrapper Script with Options

Option Summary Table

Environment Variables

Error Handling

Missing Required Argument

Invalid Option

Conflicting Options

Best Practices

Related Topics