List the metadata components and properties of a specified type. Use this command to identify individual components in your manifest file or if you want a high-level view of particular metadata types in your org. For example, you can use this command to return a list of names of all the CustomObj...
AI agents call list_metadata to retrieve information from Salesforce MCP Server without modifying anything — typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
list_metadata queries and returns metadata information from a Salesforce org without modifying, deleting, or executing operations. It is fundamentally a Read operation. Severity is medium rather than low because: (1) it requires elevated permissions (Modify All Data or Modify Metadata Through Metadata API Functions), suggesting access to sensitive organizational metadata; (2) metadata exposure could reveal system…
From the tool's definition Tool description states it 'List[s] the metadata components and properties of a specified type' and is used to 'identify individual components' and 'return a list of names.' These are retrieval operations with no side effects.
Risk signalsBulk/mass operation — affects multiple targets
Documented attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access list_metadata gives an agent:
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway — it sits between your AI agents and Salesforce MCP Server, and nothing reaches the server without passing your rules. This is the rule we recommend for list_metadata:
{
"version": "1",
"default": "deny",
"tools": {
"list_metadata": {}
}
}list_metadata is read-only, so it stays allowed — but everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.
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List the metadata components and properties of a specified type. Use this command to identify individual components in your manifest file or if you want a high-level view of particular metadata types in your org. For example, you can use this command to return a list of names of all the CustomObject or Layout components in your org, then use this information in a retrieve command that returns a subset of these components. The username that you use to connect to the org must have the Modify All Data or Modify Metadata Through Metadata API Functions permission. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Salesforce MCP Server MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the Salesforce MCP Server MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for list_metadata: 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 Salesforce MCP Server. Nothing to install.
list_metadata 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 list_metadata 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 list_metadata. 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.
list_metadata is provided by the Salesforce MCP Server MCP server (advancedcommunities/salesforce-mcp-server). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
Start from Salesforce MCP Server, add the rest of your stack, and see everything your agents can call. Then put policy on all of it.
Free to start. No card required.
41 Salesforce MCP Server tools catalogued and risk-classified — across an index of 43,000+ MCP servers.