check_homeassistant
Check Home Assistant health via GET /api/. Returns running state and version. token: optional long-lived access token for authenticated response (otherwise returns 401 which still confirms HA is running).
This record as markdown: /tools/aaronckj-mcp-nettools/check-homeassistant.md
What check_homeassistant does on Mcp Nettools
AI agents call check_homeassistant to retrieve information from Mcp Nettools without modifying anything. It is typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
Why check_homeassistant is rated Low
This tool retrieves system state information (running state, version) without side effects. While it probes a network service and could be used for reconnaissance, it is fundamentally a read operation. Severity is medium because successful access could reveal Home Assistant is running and its version, potentially enabling further targeted attacks, but the tool itself performs no harmful actions or code execution.
From the tool's definition Tool performs a GET request to check Home Assistant health status, returning running state and version. No modification, deletion, or execution of commands occurs. Description explicitly states 'GET /api/' indicating read-only query operation.
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
The rule that runs check_homeassistant safely
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway: it sits between your AI agents and Mcp Nettools, and checks every tool call against a rule you set before the call runs. Nothing changes on the server itself. For check_homeassistant, this is the rule to start with:
check_homeassistant is read-only, so it stays allowed. Everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.
The button opens the PolicyLayer dashboard: create your workspace, connect Mcp Nettools, apply this rule, and every check_homeassistant call is checked against it from then on.
Questions about check_homeassistant
Check Home Assistant health via GET /api/. Returns running state and version. token: optional long-lived access token for authenticated response (otherwise returns 401 which still confirms HA is running). It is categorised as a Read tool in the Mcp Nettools MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the Mcp Nettools MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for check_homeassistant: allow, deny, rate-limit, or require approval. Point your MCP client at the PolicyLayer proxy URL and the rule is enforced on every call, before it reaches Mcp Nettools. Nothing to install.
check_homeassistant is a Read tool with low risk. Read-only tools are generally safe to allow by default.
Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the check_homeassistant rule in your PolicyLayer policy. For example, setting max: 10 and window: 60 limits the tool to 10 calls per minute. Rate limits are tracked per agent session and reset automatically.
Set action: deny in the PolicyLayer policy for check_homeassistant. The AI agent will receive a policy violation error and cannot call the tool. You can also include a reason field to explain why the tool is blocked.
check_homeassistant is provided by the Mcp Nettools MCP server (aaronckj/mcp-nettools). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
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