create_formatting
Style a table's or report's columns: font size (px), font family, text and background colour, bold, italic, underline, strike — for the chosen fields (property_ids; empty = all columns), on every row (all=true) or only on rows that match conditions (all=false + conditions). Use it for «make the f...
This record as markdown: /tools/com-quintadb-mcp/create-formatting.md
What create_formatting does on QuintaDB
AI agents use create_formatting to create or update resources in QuintaDB, usually the action step of a workflow, after the agent has gathered context. Every call changes real data in your QuintaDB environment.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
all | boolean | — | true = every row, false = only rows that match the conditions |
name | string | Yes | The rule's name |
app_id | string | Yes | Project ID (from list_projects) |
settings | object | — | The style: background_color (#hex), text_color (#hex), bold, italic, underline, strike (boolean), font_family, font_size (a number of px), all_columns (boolean) |
entity_id | string | Yes | ID of the form or report |
conditions | array | — | Conditions (when all=false). condition: is, is_not, contains, is_empty, is_not_empty, less_than, greater_than and so on |
property_ids | array | — | Names or IDs of the fields the style applies to (empty = all columns) |
criteria_name | string | — | The conditions in words (e.g. 'Amount over 1000'). Required when all=false. |
Parameters from the server's own tool schema.
Why create_formatting is rated Medium
An AI agent can call create_formatting faster than any human can review: one bad instruction and it creates or modifies resources in QuintaDB by the hundred, each call as confident as the last.
Risk signalsHigh parameter count (21 properties) · Bulk/mass operation — affects multiple targets
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
The rule that runs create_formatting safely
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway: it sits between your AI agents and QuintaDB, and checks every tool call against a rule you set before the call runs. Nothing changes on the server itself. For create_formatting, this is the rule to start with:
create_formatting 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.
The button opens the PolicyLayer dashboard: create your workspace, connect QuintaDB, apply this rule, and every create_formatting call is checked against it from then on.
Questions about create_formatting
Style a table's or report's columns: font size (px), font family, text and background colour, bold, italic, underline, strike — for the chosen fields (property_ids; empty = all columns), on every row (all=true) or only on rows that match conditions (all=false + conditions). Use it for «make the font in field X smaller / larger», «make X bold / red», «highlight the rows where …». It shows in the table view; the form editor has no per-field font size. ⚠️ The rule's name is its key within the form: a call with the same name REWRITES that rule (status: updated), it does not add a second one — give a second rule another name. It is categorised as a Write tool in the QuintaDB MCP Server, which means it can create or modify data. Consider rate limits to prevent runaway writes.
create_formatting accepts 8 parameters: all, name, app_id, settings, entity_id, conditions, property_ids, criteria_name. Required: name, app_id, entity_id. The full parameter table on this page comes from the server's own tool schema.
Register the QuintaDB MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for create_formatting: 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 QuintaDB. Nothing to install.
create_formatting is a Write tool with medium risk. Write tools should be rate-limited to prevent accidental bulk modifications.
Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the create_formatting 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 create_formatting. 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.
create_formatting is provided by the QuintaDB MCP server (https://quintadb.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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