describe_table

What describe_table does on PostgreSQL MCP Server

AI agents call describe_table to retrieve information from PostgreSQL MCP Server without modifying anything. It is typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.

Why describe_table is rated Low

This tool only reads and returns table schema information (column names and types). It has no side effects, cannot modify or delete data, and cannot execute arbitrary code. It is clearly a Read operation with minimal security risk. The low severity reflects that schema disclosure has limited blast radius compared to query execution or data modification tools.

From the tool's definition Tool description states it 'Describe the columns and types of a specific table.' This is a schema introspection operation that retrieves metadata about table structure without modifying data or executing arbitrary operations.

The rule that runs describe_table safely

PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway: it sits between your AI agents and PostgreSQL MCP Server, and checks every tool call against a rule you set before the call runs. Nothing changes on the server itself. For describe_table, this is the rule to start with:

{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "describe_table": {}
  }
}

Questions about describe_table