# list_cost_decoders

List the 'real cost' decoders — topics where the advertised sticker price hides the true bill (e.g. AI customer support billed per resolution, where a $29/mo seat price becomes hundreds/mo at volume). Each entry carries the question it answers, the scenarios it computes, the vendor count and the data's as-of date. Pass a topic slug to get_cost_decoder.

Agent View of the PolicyLayer registry record for `list_cost_decoders`. HTML page: https://policylayer.com/tools/com-frontdeskreview-front-desk-review-data/list-cost-decoders

## Facts

- Tool: `list_cost_decoders`
- Server: The Front Desk Review (`https://mcp.frontdeskreview.com/mcp`) — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-frontdeskreview-front-desk-review-data.md
- Homepage: https://github.com/AlexandDunk/frontdesk-data
- Risk category: Read (Low risk)
- Registry record: grade F, identity unverified
- Server auth posture: open
- Server rate-limited: no
- Parameters: 0
- Recommended policy verdict: Allowed

## Example call (MCP tools/call, JSON-RPC 2.0)

```json
{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "id": 1,
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "name": "list_cost_decoders",
    "arguments": {}
  }
}
```

## Why list_cost_decoders is rated Low

This is a pure retrieval/query operation that lists available decoders and their metadata. It has no capability to modify, delete, execute code, or commit financial transactions—it merely returns structured reference data to inform users about available cost analysis tools. Low severity reflects the informational nature and absence of any operational impact.

From the tool's own definition: "Tool name 'list_cost_decoders' and description state it 'List[s] the real cost decoders' and retrieves metadata about cost decoder topics (questions, scenarios, vendor counts, dates)."

## Use case

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

## Recommended policy (PolicyLayer)

Verdict: **Allowed**. Enforced by the PolicyLayer MCP gateway (https://policylayer.com/mcp-gateway) before a call reaches The Front Desk Review:

```json
{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "list_cost_decoders": {}
  }
}
```

## Other tools on The Front Desk Review (18)

- `compare` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-frontdeskreview-front-desk-review-data/compare.md
- `compare_products` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-frontdeskreview-front-desk-review-data/compare-products.md
- `find_best` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-frontdeskreview-front-desk-review-data/find-best.md
- `find_products` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-frontdeskreview-front-desk-review-data/find-products.md
- `get_benchmark` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-frontdeskreview-front-desk-review-data/get-benchmark.md
- `get_cost_decoder` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-frontdeskreview-front-desk-review-data/get-cost-decoder.md
- `get_independent_test_coverage` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-frontdeskreview-front-desk-review-data/get-independent-test-coverage.md
- `get_normalized_pricing` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-frontdeskreview-front-desk-review-data/get-normalized-pricing.md
- `get_price_history` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-frontdeskreview-front-desk-review-data/get-price-history.md
- `list_coverage` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-frontdeskreview-front-desk-review-data/list-coverage.md
- `list_product_categories` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-frontdeskreview-front-desk-review-data/list-product-categories.md
- `list_sections` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-frontdeskreview-front-desk-review-data/list-sections.md
- `most_volatile_in_category` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-frontdeskreview-front-desk-review-data/most-volatile-in-category.md
- `price_movers` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-frontdeskreview-front-desk-review-data/price-movers.md
- `search_products` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-frontdeskreview-front-desk-review-data/search-products.md
- `search_vendors` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-frontdeskreview-front-desk-review-data/search-vendors.md
- `volatility_for_entity` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-frontdeskreview-front-desk-review-data/volatility-for-entity.md
- `whats_changed` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-frontdeskreview-front-desk-review-data/whats-changed.md

## For agents

This record is a snapshot. Live verdicts and the full registry:

- Check every server in your MCP config at once: `npx -y policylayer stack`
- Vet a server before you add it: install the mcp-precheck skill — `npx skills add https://policylayer.com` (skill text: https://policylayer.com/skill.md)
- Query the registry over MCP: endpoint `https://api.policylayer.com/mcp` — tools `check_mcp_server`, `check_mcp_stack`, `check_tool`, `search_registry`, `get_change_events`

---

Source: the PolicyLayer MCP registry — one continuously verified record per MCP server. Full record: https://policylayer.com/registry?q=com-frontdeskreview-front-desk-review-data · API: https://policylayer.com/registry/api · Policy library: https://policylayer.com/policies/com-frontdeskreview-front-desk-review-data