Retrieve Wayback Machine snapshots for a domain: first capture, latest, total count, snapshot list. Use to investigate domain history and age; for full audit use domain_report. Free: 30/hr, Pro: 500/hr. status='ok' means the count is authoritative (even when 0 → confirmed no archives). status='un...
Part of the ContrastAPI server.
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AI agents call wayback_lookup to retrieve information from ContrastAPI 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 wayback_lookup 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": {
"wayback_lookup": {}
}
}See the full ContrastAPI policy for all 53 tools.
These attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access wayback_lookup 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 Wayback Machine snapshots for a domain: first capture, latest, total count, snapshot list. Use to investigate domain history and age; for full audit use domain_report. Free: 30/hr, Pro: 500/hr. status='ok' means the count is authoritative (even when 0 → confirmed no archives). status='unavailable' means CDX timed out/rate-limited/5xx — total_snapshots is OMITTED (unknown, NOT zero) and the agent should NOT report "no snapshots"; the warnings[] array carries the cdx_* error code (cdx_timeout/cdx_rate_limited/cdx_unavailable/cdx_error/cdx_parse_error/cdx_body_too_large). Heavy domains (kernel.org, microsoft.com, archive.org itself) frequently time out the CDX endpoint despite having millions of snapshots — fall back to archive_url for manual inspection. Returns {domain, status, total_snapshots, first_seen, last_seen, years_online, snapshots, archive_url, summary, warnings}.. It is categorised as a Read tool in the ContrastAPI MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the ContrastAPI MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for wayback_lookup: 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 ContrastAPI. Nothing to install.
wayback_lookup 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 wayback_lookup 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 wayback_lookup. 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.
wayback_lookup is provided by the ContrastAPI MCP server (https://api.contrastcyber.com/mcp/). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
Deterministic rules across all 53 ContrastAPI tools. Per-identity grants. Full audit log. Live in minutes. Nothing to install.
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