Retrieve a specific section of a UK Act or Statutory Instrument. Returns the full section text, territorial extent, in-force status, and prospective flag. Content is capped per max_chars (default 10,000, ~2,500 tokens) — raise max_chars for unusually long definition sections. Check content_trunca...
Part of the Uk Legal server.
Free to start. No card required.
AI agents call legislation_get_section to retrieve information from Uk Legal 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 legislation_get_section 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.
{
"version": "1",
"default": "deny",
"tools": {
"legislation_get_section": {}
}
}See the full Uk Legal policy for all 29 tools.
These attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access legislation_get_section gives an agent. Each links to the full case and the policy that stops it:
Other read tools across the catalogue. The same approach applies to each: allow, with a rate cap to control cost.
Retrieve a specific section of a UK Act or Statutory Instrument. Returns the full section text, territorial extent, in-force status, and prospective flag. Content is capped per max_chars (default 10,000, ~2,500 tokens) — raise max_chars for unusually long definition sections. Check content_truncated in the response to see if it was cut. IMPORTANT: Always check extent — a section may apply to England & Wales but not Scotland or Northern Ireland. Alternative: read the resource template legislation://{type}/{year}/{number}/section/{section} to get raw CLML XML directly. Use this tool when you want the parsed structured response (extent, in-force, version_date) instead of raw XML.. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Uk Legal MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the Uk Legal MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for legislation_get_section: 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 Uk Legal. Nothing to install.
legislation_get_section 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 legislation_get_section 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 legislation_get_section. 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.
legislation_get_section is provided by the Uk Legal MCP server (bouch/uk-legal). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
Deterministic rules across all 29 Uk Legal tools. Per-identity grants. Full audit log. Live in minutes. Nothing to install.
Free to start. No card required.
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