This record as markdown: /tools/baidu-map/distance.md
What distance does on Baidu Map
AI agents call distance to retrieve information from Baidu Map without modifying anything. It is typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
Why distance is rated Low
On a Baidu Map MCP server, a tool named 'distance' almost certainly retrieves a calculated distance value between geographic coordinates. This is a read operation with no side effects. The description 'number' is uninformative and lowers confidence, but the context of sibling tools (adcode, address, city, area, etc.) supports this interpretation. Severity is low as misuse would only expose geographic distance data.
From the tool's definition Tool name is 'distance' and description is merely 'number' — uninformative description, but 'distance' on a mapping API strongly implies calculating distance between points (a read/query operation).
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
The rule that runs distance safely
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway: it sits between your AI agents and Baidu Map, and checks every tool call against a rule you set before the call runs. Nothing changes on the server itself. For distance, this is the rule to start with:
distance is read-only, so it stays allowed. Everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.
The button opens the PolicyLayer dashboard: create your workspace, connect Baidu Map, apply this rule, and every distance call is checked against it from then on.
Questions about distance
number. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Baidu Map MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the Baidu Map MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for distance: 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 Baidu Map. Nothing to install.
distance 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 distance 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 distance. 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.
distance is provided by the Baidu Map MCP server (@baidumap/mcp-server-baidu-map). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
More on Baidu Map, and thousands of servers like it.
This server
Across the catalogue