check_security_headers
Fetch HTTP response headers and report which security headers are present or missing: HSTS, CSP, X-Frame-Options, X-Content-Type-Options, Referrer-Policy, Permissions-Policy, X-XSS-Protection. Returns a score.
This record as markdown: /tools/aaronckj-mcp-nettools/check-security-headers.md
What check_security_headers does on Mcp Nettools
AI agents call check_security_headers 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_security_headers is rated Low
This tool performs network reconnaissance by querying HTTP headers from web servers. It has no side effects: it does not modify, execute, delete, or alter any data or systems. It is informational only, similar to other diagnostic tools on the server (ping, DNS lookup, SSL cert check). The read-only nature and lack of state-changing operations place it firmly in the Read category with low severity.
From the tool's definition Tool fetches and reports HTTP response headers, analyzing which security headers are present or missing. The description indicates it 'Fetch[es] HTTP response headers' and 'report[s]' on them—pure retrieval and analysis with no modification of target systems…
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
The rule that runs check_security_headers 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_security_headers, this is the rule to start with:
check_security_headers 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_security_headers call is checked against it from then on.
Questions about check_security_headers
Fetch HTTP response headers and report which security headers are present or missing: HSTS, CSP, X-Frame-Options, X-Content-Type-Options, Referrer-Policy, Permissions-Policy, X-XSS-Protection. Returns a score. 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_security_headers: 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_security_headers 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_security_headers 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_security_headers. 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_security_headers 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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