create_instance

SERVERMcp SOURCEhttps://compute.googleapis.com/mcp

Medium RISK CLASS

Category Write

Parameters 83 required

Recommended Rate-limitedsee the rule below

Registry record Grade F, identity unverified Pull the record →

This record as markdown: /tools/com-googleapis-compute-mcp/create-instance.md

WHAT IT DOES

What create_instance does on Mcp

AI agents use create_instance to create or update resources in Mcp, usually the action step of a workflow, after the agent has gathered context. Every call changes real data in your Mcp environment.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`name`	string	Yes	Required. Identifier. The instance name.
`zone`	string	Yes	Required. The zone of the instance.
`project`	string	Yes	Required. Project ID for this request.
`imageFamily`	string	—	Optional. The image family of the instance.
`machineType`	string	—	Optional. The machine type of the instance.
`imageProject`	string	—	Optional. The image project of the instance.
`guestAccelerators`	array	—	Optional. The list of attached accelerators. Each entry specifies the accelerator type (short name or full/partial URL, e.g., 'nvidia-tesla-p4') and the count.
`maintenancePolicy`	string	—	Optional. The maintenance policy option for the instance.

Parameters from the server's own tool schema.

RISK

Why create_instance is rated Medium

Creating a VM instance is a reversible write operation—instances can be deleted or recreated. While it has significant blast radius (spinning up cloud resources with potential cost implications), it does not irreversibly destroy data, execute arbitrary code/commands, or transfer money directly.

From the tool's definition Tool description states it will 'Create a new Google Compute Engine virtual machine (VM) instance' with required inputs for project, zone, and instance name. This is a creation operation that modifies cloud infrastructure state.

Attacks that exploit this kind of access

RECOMMENDED RULE

The rule that runs create_instance safely

PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway: it sits between your AI agents and Mcp, and checks every tool call against a rule you set before the call runs. Nothing changes on the server itself. For create_instance, this is the rule to start with:

create_instance Rate-limited

create_instance stays usable, but capped: an agent stuck in a loop can't make hundreds of changes a minute. Everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.

View as policy code

policy.json

{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "create_instance": {
      "limits": [
        {
          "counter": "create_instance_rate",
          "window": "minute",
          "max": 30,
          "scope": "grant"
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}

LIMIT THIS TOOL → Instant setup, no code required.

The button opens the PolicyLayer dashboard: create your workspace, connect Mcp, apply this rule, and every create_instance call is checked against it from then on.

FAQ

Questions about create_instance

What does the create_instance tool do? +

Create a new Google Compute Engine virtual machine (VM) instance. Requires project, zone, and instance name as input. If machine_type is not provided, it defaults to e2-medium. If image_project and image_family are not provided, it defaults to debian-12 image from debian-cloud project. guest_accelerator and maintenance_policy can be optionally provided. Proceed only if there is no error in response and the status of the operation is DONE without any errors. To get details of the operation, use the get_zone_operation tool. It is categorised as a Write tool in the Mcp MCP Server, which means it can create or modify data. Consider rate limits to prevent runaway writes.

What parameters does create_instance accept? +

create_instance accepts 8 parameters: name, zone, project, imageFamily, machineType, imageProject, guestAccelerators, maintenancePolicy. Required: name, zone, project. The full parameter table on this page comes from the server's own tool schema.

How do I enforce a policy on create_instance? +

Register the MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for create_instance: 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 Mcp. Nothing to install.

What risk level is create_instance? +

create_instance is a Write tool with medium risk. Write tools should be rate-limited to prevent accidental bulk modifications.

Can I rate-limit create_instance? +

Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the create_instance 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.

How do I block create_instance completely? +

Set action: deny in the PolicyLayer policy for create_instance. 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.

What MCP server provides create_instance? +

create_instance is provided by the MCP server (https://compute.googleapis.com/mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.

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