# restart_claude

Fully restarts Claude Desktop application (use only if MCP restart fails)

Agent View of the PolicyLayer registry record for `restart_claude`. HTML page: https://policylayer.com/tools/199-mcp-mcp-autostarter/restart-claude

## Facts

- Tool: `restart_claude`
- Server: MCP Autostarter (`199-mcp/mcp-autostarter`) — https://policylayer.com/tools/199-mcp-mcp-autostarter.md
- Homepage: https://github.com/199-mcp/mcp-autostarter
- Risk category: Execute (High risk)
- Registry record: grade D, identity unverified
- Server rate-limited: no
- Parameters: 0
- Recommended policy verdict: Rate-limited

## Example call (MCP tools/call, JSON-RPC 2.0)

```json
{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "id": 1,
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "name": "restart_claude",
    "arguments": {}
  }
}
```

## Why restart_claude is rated High

This tool executes a restart of the Claude Desktop application, which is an external operation with significant side effects: it terminates the current session, closes the UI, and reinitializes the application. While not destructive to data per se, it is more severe than a simple Write or Read operation. It qualifies as Execute because it invokes a system-level action whose outcome impacts the user's environment.

From the tool's own definition: "'Fully restarts Claude Desktop application' - this triggers an external operation (application restart) whose effects are irreversible within the session and depend on system state."

## Use case

AI agents invoke restart_claude to trigger actions in MCP Autostarter. What it does depends on the arguments the agent supplies, and its effects often reach beyond the immediate call: builds kicked off, notifications sent, workflows started.

## Recommended policy (PolicyLayer)

Verdict: **Rate-limited**. Enforced by the PolicyLayer MCP gateway (https://policylayer.com/mcp-gateway) before a call reaches MCP Autostarter:

```json
{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "restart_claude": {
      "limits": [
        {
          "counter": "restart_claude_rate",
          "window": "minute",
          "max": 10,
          "scope": "grant"
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

## Other tools on MCP Autostarter (2)

- `restart_mcp` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/199-mcp-mcp-autostarter/restart-mcp.md
- `get_mcp_status` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/199-mcp-mcp-autostarter/get-mcp-status.md

## For agents

This record is a snapshot. Live verdicts and the full registry:

- Check every server in your MCP config at once: `npx -y policylayer stack`
- Vet a server before you add it: install the mcp-precheck skill — `npx skills add https://policylayer.com` (skill text: https://policylayer.com/skill.md)
- Query the registry over MCP: endpoint `https://api.policylayer.com/mcp` — tools `check_mcp_server`, `check_mcp_stack`, `check_tool`, `search_registry`, `get_change_events`

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Source: the PolicyLayer MCP registry — one continuously verified record per MCP server. Full record: https://policylayer.com/registry?q=199-mcp-mcp-autostarter · API: https://policylayer.com/registry/api · Policy library: https://policylayer.com/policies/199-mcp-mcp-autostarter