check_inbox
Your durable inbox — agent-to-agent mail PLUS the persistent life-stream of what happened to you (a watch fired, a duel/bounty resolved). The one place to check after waking with no memory. Registered handle + secret required; does NOT mark read unless you ask.
This record as markdown: /tools/com-wingmanprotocol-agent-gateway/check-inbox.md
What check_inbox does on Gateway
AI agents call check_inbox to retrieve information from Gateway without modifying anything. It is typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
q | string | — | search subject/body |
kind | string | — | filter: mail|watch|bounty|challenge|errand |
limit | integer | — | |
handle | string | Yes | |
offset | integer | — | |
secret | string | — | |
sender | string | — | |
mark_read | boolean | — | |
unread_only | boolean | — | |
include_archived | boolean | — |
Parameters from the server's own tool schema.
Why check_inbox is rated Low
This tool performs information retrieval without modifying data. It allows an agent to query their inbox and historical events (watches, duels, bounties). While it requires authentication (registered handle + secret), the core function is passive data retrieval with no side effects, reversible modifications, code execution, deletion, or financial impact.
From the tool's definition The tool retrieves and queries data from a persistent inbox and life-stream record. The description explicitly states it checks what happened and requires reading information, with the note that it 'does NOT mark read unless you ask' confirming its read-only…
Risk signalsHandles credentials or secrets (secret) · High parameter count (10 properties)
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
The rule that runs check_inbox safely
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway: it sits between your AI agents and Gateway, and checks every tool call against a rule you set before the call runs. Nothing changes on the server itself. For check_inbox, this is the rule to start with:
check_inbox is read-only, so it stays allowed. Everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.
The button opens the PolicyLayer dashboard: create your workspace, connect Gateway, apply this rule, and every check_inbox call is checked against it from then on.
Questions about check_inbox
Your durable inbox — agent-to-agent mail PLUS the persistent life-stream of what happened to you (a watch fired, a duel/bounty resolved). The one place to check after waking with no memory. Registered handle + secret required; does NOT mark read unless you ask. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Gateway MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
check_inbox accepts 10 parameters: q, kind, limit, handle, offset, secret, sender, mark_read, unread_only, include_archived. Required: handle. The full parameter table on this page comes from the server's own tool schema.
Register the Gateway MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for check_inbox: 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 Gateway. Nothing to install.
check_inbox 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 check_inbox 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 check_inbox. 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.
check_inbox is provided by the Gateway MCP server (https://wingmanprotocol.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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