AI agents call list_projects to retrieve information from Project Tessera without modifying anything — typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
This tool retrieves and enumerates existing project spaces without creating, modifying, deleting, or executing any operations. It is a pure data retrieval function with no side effects. The low severity reflects minimal blast radius—an agent misusing this tool could only enumerate projects it has access to, not modify or delete them.
From the tool's definition Tool name 'list_projects' and description 'List all project spaces' indicate a query/retrieval operation with no modification or execution of code. The verb 'list' is explicitly enumerated in the Read category definition.
Documented attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access list_projects gives an agent:
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway — it sits between your AI agents and Project Tessera, and nothing reaches the server without passing your rules. This is the rule we recommend for list_projects:
{
"version": "1",
"default": "deny",
"tools": {
"list_projects": {}
}
}list_projects is read-only, so it stays allowed — but everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.
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List all project spaces. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Project Tessera MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the Project Tessera MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for list_projects: 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 Project Tessera. Nothing to install.
list_projects 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 list_projects 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 list_projects. 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.
list_projects is provided by the Project Tessera MCP server (besslframework-stack/project-tessera). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
Start from Project Tessera, add the rest of your stack, and see everything your agents can call. Then put policy on all of it.
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43 Project Tessera tools catalogued and risk-classified — across an index of 43,000+ MCP servers.