Get SNAP/food stamp household participation by county using Census ACS Table B22001. Returns the number and percentage of households receiving vs not receiving SNAP/food stamp benefits, broken down by county. Essential for understanding food assistance utilization in grant target areas. Args: sta...
Part of the USDA Food Access server.
Free to start. No card required.
AI agents call get_snap_participation to retrieve information from USDA Food Access 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 get_snap_participation 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": {
"get_snap_participation": {}
}
}See the full USDA Food Access policy for all 4 tools.
These attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access get_snap_participation 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.
Get SNAP/food stamp household participation by county using Census ACS Table B22001. Returns the number and percentage of households receiving vs not receiving SNAP/food stamp benefits, broken down by county. Essential for understanding food assistance utilization in grant target areas. Args: state: Two-letter state abbreviation (e.g. 'WA', 'MS') or 2-digit FIPS code. county_fips: Three-digit county FIPS code (e.g. '033' for King County, WA). Omit to get all counties in the state. year: ACS 5-year estimate year (default 2022). Data covers year-4 through year.. It is categorised as a Read tool in the USDA Food Access MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the USDA Food Access MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for get_snap_participation: 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 USDA Food Access. Nothing to install.
get_snap_participation 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 get_snap_participation 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 get_snap_participation. 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.
get_snap_participation is provided by the USDA Food Access MCP server (https://mcp.olyport.com/usda-food/mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
Deterministic rules across all 4 USDA Food Access tools. Per-identity grants. Full audit log. Live in minutes. Nothing to install.
Free to start. No card required.
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