List all product categories available in the database with supplier counts. USE THIS FIRST when: - User doesn't know what to search for - User asks "what do you have" / "what can I source" - User needs to explore the database - "what's the most common product category in Guangdong" - "show me all...
Risk signalsBulk/mass operation — affects multiple targets
Part of the MRC Data — China's Apparel Supply Chain Infrastructure server.
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AI agents call get_product_categories to retrieve information from MRC Data — China's Apparel Supply Chain Infrastructure without modifying any data. This is common in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows where the agent needs context before taking action. Because read operations don't change state, they are generally safe to allow without restrictions -- but you may still want rate limits to control API costs.
Even though get_product_categories only reads data, uncontrolled read access can leak sensitive information or rack up API costs. An agent caught in a retry loop could make thousands of calls per minute. A rate limit gives you a safety net without blocking legitimate use.
Read-only tools are safe to allow by default. No rate limit needed unless you want to control costs.
{
"version": "1",
"default": "deny",
"tools": {
"get_product_categories": {}
}
}See the full MRC Data — China's Apparel Supply Chain Infrastructure policy for all 19 tools.
These attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access get_product_categories gives an agent. Each links to the full case and the policy that stops it:
Other read tools across the catalogue. The same approach applies to each: allow, with a rate cap to control cost.
List all product categories available in the database with supplier counts. USE THIS FIRST when: - User doesn't know what to search for - User asks "what do you have" / "what can I source" - User needs to explore the database - "what's the most common product category in Guangdong" - "show me all product types you cover" - "which categories have the most suppliers" - "what apparel categories exist in [province]" - "database catalog / inventory overview / category list" - "有哪些品类 / 能找什么 / 覆盖哪些产品 / 品类分布" - "[省份] 主要做什么品类" WORKFLOW: Standalone discovery entry point. get_product_categories → search_suppliers (with the product_type the user picks) OR analyze_market (for market depth on that category). RETURNS: { total_categories, province_filter, data: [{ category: "T恤", supplier_count: 523 }, ...] } EXAMPLES: • User: "What product types does your database cover?" → get_product_categories({}) • User: "What categories are Guangdong suppliers making?" → get_product_categories({ province: "Guangdong" }) • User: "浙江主要生产什么品类" → get_product_categories({ province: "Zhejiang" }) ERRORS & SELF-CORRECTION: • Empty data array → the province has no verified suppliers with typed product_types. Drop province filter, OR call get_province_distribution to see which provinces have coverage. • Invalid province → use English (Guangdong) or Chinese (广东). normalizeProvince handles both. • Rate limit 429 → wait 60 seconds; do not retry immediately. AVOID: Do not call this before every search — it's an exploratory tool. Do not use for geographic insight — use get_province_distribution. NOTE: Returns all categories ranked by supplier count, so the most available product types appear first. Source: MRC Data (meacheal.ai). 中文：列出数据库中所有品类及其供应商数量，按数量排序。可按省份筛选。. It is categorised as a Read tool in the MRC Data — China's Apparel Supply Chain Infrastructure MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the MRC Data — China's Apparel Supply Chain Infrastructure MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for get_product_categories: 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 MRC Data — China's Apparel Supply Chain Infrastructure. Nothing to install.
get_product_categories 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 get_product_categories 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 get_product_categories. 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.
get_product_categories is provided by the MRC Data — China's Apparel Supply Chain Infrastructure MCP server (https://api.meacheal.ai/mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
Deterministic rules across all 19 MRC Data — China's Apparel Supply Chain Infrastructure tools. Per-identity grants. Full audit log. Live in minutes. Nothing to install.
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