Gets all CloudWatch Alarms currently in ALARM state. This tool retrieves all CloudWatch Alarms that are currently in the ALARM state, including both metric alarms and composite alarms. Results are optimized for LLM reasoning with summary-level information. Usage: Use this tool to get an overvie...
Part of the AWS Labs CloudWatch MCP Server MCP server. Enforce policies on this tool with Intercept, the open-source MCP proxy.
AI agents call get_active_alarms to retrieve information from AWS Labs CloudWatch MCP Server 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_active_alarms 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.
tools:
get_active_alarms:
rules:
- action: allowSee the full AWS Labs CloudWatch MCP Server policy for all 19 tools.
Agents calling read-class tools like get_active_alarms have been implicated in these attack patterns. Read the full case and prevention policy for each:
Other tools in the Read risk category across the catalogue. The same policy patterns (rate-limit, allow) apply to each.
Gets all CloudWatch Alarms currently in ALARM state. This tool retrieves all CloudWatch Alarms that are currently in the ALARM state, including both metric alarms and composite alarms. Results are optimized for LLM reasoning with summary-level information. Usage: Use this tool to get an overview of all active alarms in your AWS account for troubleshooting, monitoring, and operational awareness. Args: ctx: The MCP context object for error handling and logging. max_items: Maximum number of alarms to return (default: 50). region: AWS region to query. Defaults to AWS_REGION environment variable or us-east-1 if not set. profile_name: AWS CLI Profile Name to use for AWS access. Falls back to AWS_PROFILE environment variable if not specified, or uses default AWS credential chain. Returns: ActiveAlarmsResponse: Response containing active alarms. Example: result = await get_active_alarms(ctx, max_items=25) if isinstance(result, ActiveAlarmsResponse): print(f"Found {len(result.metric_alarms + result.composite_alarms)} active alarms") for alarm in result.metric_alarms: print(f"Metric Alarm: {alarm.alarm_name}") for alarm in result.composite_alarms: print(f"Composite Alarm: {alarm.alarm_name}"). It is categorised as a Read tool in the AWS Labs CloudWatch MCP Server MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Add a rule in your Intercept YAML policy under the tools section for get_active_alarms. You can allow, deny, rate-limit, or validate arguments. Then run Intercept as a proxy in front of the AWS Labs CloudWatch MCP Server MCP server.
get_active_alarms 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_active_alarms rule in your Intercept 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 Intercept policy for get_active_alarms. 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_active_alarms is provided by the AWS Labs CloudWatch MCP Server MCP server (awslabs.cloudwatch-mcp-server). Intercept sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
Deterministic policy on every MCP tool call. Per-identity grants. Full audit log.