list_role_policies

SERVERAWS SOURCE@awslabs/mcp

Low RISK CLASS

Category Read

Parameters 00 required

Recommended Allowedsee the rule below

Registry record Grade F, identity verified Pull the record →

This record as markdown: /tools/aws/list-role-policies.md

WHAT IT DOES

What list_role_policies does on AWS

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

RISK

Why list_role_policies is rated Low

This tool performs information retrieval without modifying any data. However, the severity is elevated from 'low' to 'medium' because IAM policy enumeration can expose security-sensitive authorization configurations that an agent could use to map privilege escalation paths or identify overly permissive policies for exploitation.

From the tool's definition Tool description states it 'retrieves the names of all inline policies attached to the specified role' and 'returns...the list of policy names'. The verb 'retrieves' and return of policy metadata indicate a read-only query operation.

Attacks that exploit this kind of access

RECOMMENDED RULE

The rule that runs list_role_policies safely

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

list_role_policies Allowed

list_role_policies is read-only, so it stays allowed. Everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.

View as policy code

policy.json

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

ALLOW ONLY THIS TOOL → Instant setup, no code required.

The button opens the PolicyLayer dashboard: create your workspace, connect AWS, apply this rule, and every list_role_policies call is checked against it from then on.

FAQ

Questions about list_role_policies

What does the list_role_policies tool do? +

List all inline policies for an IAM role. This tool retrieves the names of all inline policies attached to the specified role. Args: role_name: The name of the IAM role Returns: InlinePolicyListResponse containing the list of policy names. It is categorised as a Read tool in the AWS MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.

How do I enforce a policy on list_role_policies? +

Register the AWS MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for list_role_policies: 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 AWS. Nothing to install.

What risk level is list_role_policies? +

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

Can I rate-limit list_role_policies? +

Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the list_role_policies 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_role_policies completely? +

Set action: deny in the PolicyLayer policy for list_role_policies. 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_role_policies? +

list_role_policies is provided by the AWS MCP server (@awslabs/mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.

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