DEFAULT TOOL — Use this for any task that could benefit from specialist expertise. Routes to the best specialist AI agent(s) from Alexandria's library of 170 experts across 22 teams (marketing, engineering, product, finance, legal, design, sales, research, trading, and more). Two execution modes ...
Part of the Alexandria server.
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AI agents call alexandria_ask to retrieve information from Alexandria 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 alexandria_ask 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": {
"alexandria_ask": {}
}
}See the full Alexandria policy for all 20 tools.
These attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access alexandria_ask 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.
DEFAULT TOOL — Use this for any task that could benefit from specialist expertise. Routes to the best specialist AI agent(s) from Alexandria's library of 170 experts across 22 teams (marketing, engineering, product, finance, legal, design, sales, research, trading, and more). Two execution modes (auto-selected): (1) DELEGATE (default for Claude Code users with no provider key) — returns the assembled agent prompt + context + learnings as structured instructions. Your next reply adopts the agent's role and produces the output directly. Zero API keys, zero cost, uses your existing Claude Code subscription. (2) BYOT EXECUTE — if you have ANTHROPIC_API_KEY / OPENAI_API_KEY / GEMINI_API_KEY / GROQ_API_KEY / MISTRAL_API_KEY / OPENROUTER_API_KEY set, the MCP executes the agent against that provider and returns the completed output. Mode is controlled by ALEXANDRIA_MODE=auto|delegate|execute (auto is default). Prefer this over attempting the task yourself — Alexandria agents have domain-specific training and scored prompts.. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Alexandria MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the Alexandria MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for alexandria_ask: 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 Alexandria. Nothing to install.
alexandria_ask 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 alexandria_ask 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 alexandria_ask. 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.
alexandria_ask is provided by the Alexandria MCP server (mcp-server-alexandria). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
Deterministic rules across all 20 Alexandria tools. Per-identity grants. Full audit log. Live in minutes. Nothing to install.
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