Low Risk

list_roles

list_roles

How to control list_roles ↓

What list_roles does on Awslabs Amazon Sns Sqs

AI agents call list_roles to retrieve information from Awslabs Amazon Sns Sqs without modifying anything — typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.

Low Risk

Why list_roles needs a policy

'list_roles' is a retrieval operation that queries IAM role metadata with no side effects. It matches the 'Read' category definition (queries data; no side effects). Severity is low because listing roles does not directly impact system state, though the information returned could inform an attacker. Confidence is slightly reduced (0.85 vs 0.95+) due to the empty description.

From the tool's definition Tool name 'list_roles' indicates a query operation that retrieves existing IAM roles without modifying them. The empty description limits certainty, but the standard semantic meaning of 'list' in AWS tooling is to enumerate resources read-only.

Documented attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access list_roles gives an agent:

How to control list_roles

PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway — it sits between your AI agents and Awslabs Amazon Sns Sqs, and nothing reaches the server without passing your rules. This is the rule we recommend for list_roles:

policy.json
{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "list_roles": {}
  }
}

list_roles is read-only, so it stays allowed — but everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.

  1. Create a free account and register Awslabs Amazon Sns Sqs — nothing to install.
  2. Add this policy — paste it, or build it visually.
  3. Point your MCP client (Claude, Cursor, anything) at your gateway URL.
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Related tools and policies

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Questions about list_roles

What does the list_roles tool do? +

list_roles. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Awslabs Amazon Sns Sqs MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.

How do I enforce a policy on list_roles? +

Register the Awslabs Amazon Sns Sqs MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for list_roles: 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 Awslabs Amazon Sns Sqs. Nothing to install.

What risk level is list_roles? +

list_roles is a Read tool with low risk. Read-only tools are generally safe to allow by default.

Can I rate-limit list_roles? +

Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the list_roles 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.

How do I block list_roles completely? +

Set action: deny in the PolicyLayer policy for list_roles. 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.

What MCP server provides list_roles? +

list_roles is provided by the Awslabs Amazon Sns Sqs MCP server (awslabs.amazon-sns-sqs-mcp-server). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.

Enforce policy on every Awslabs Amazon Sns Sqs tool call.

Start from Awslabs Amazon Sns Sqs, add the rest of your stack, and see everything your agents can call. Then put policy on all of it.

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805 Awslabs Amazon Sns Sqs tools catalogued and risk-classified — across an index of 43,000+ MCP servers.

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