# restart_mcp

Intelligently restarts only the MCP handler process without disrupting Claude Desktop UI

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

## Facts

- Tool: `restart_mcp`
- 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_mcp",
    "arguments": {}
  }
}
```

## Why restart_mcp is rated High

This tool executes a restart command on the MCP handler process—a consequential system operation whose effects (process termination and restart, potential loss of in-flight operations, state changes) depend on invocation context and cannot be trivially rolled back. While not destructive in the sense of data deletion, it is Execute because it triggers external operations with real side effects.

From the tool's own definition: "Tool name 'restart_mcp' and description 'restarts only the MCP handler process' indicate execution of a system-level process control operation."

## Use case

AI agents invoke restart_mcp 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_mcp": {
      "limits": [
        {
          "counter": "restart_mcp_rate",
          "window": "minute",
          "max": 10,
          "scope": "grant"
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

## Other tools on MCP Autostarter (2)

- `restart_claude` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/199-mcp-mcp-autostarter/restart-claude.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`

---

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