Return the full structured dossier for a named entity — the canonical citable artifact for any actor, organization, ordinance, or project the corpus references. Returns: voxel_lead (134-167 word voxel-disciplined identity prose), canonical_role, the class-specific cluster (person.voting_record fo...
Part of the Zoning Signal server.
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AI agents call describe_entity to retrieve information from Zoning Signal 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 describe_entity 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": {
"describe_entity": {}
}
}See the full Zoning Signal policy for all 17 tools.
These attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access describe_entity 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.
Return the full structured dossier for a named entity — the canonical citable artifact for any actor, organization, ordinance, or project the corpus references. Returns: voxel_lead (134-167 word voxel-disciplined identity prose), canonical_role, the class-specific cluster (person.voting_record for board members; organization.type + jurisdiction; legislation.legal_status + effective_date + sunset_date + citation; creative_work.work_type + status + case_number), the bidirectional graph references (appears_in_meetings, appears_in_briefs, appears_in_watches, exhibits_patterns, related_entities, related_places, related_corridors), the provenance_chain, and the canonical surfaces (dossier URL, schema_id, decoder_index_hub). Each schema_id (/entities/{slug}#{class.toLowerCase()}) is the stable cross-page Schema.org reference — Person / Organization / Legislation / CreativeWork — that AI agents resolve to when citing the entity. Use when grounding a citation, when reasoning about an entity's full role across the corpus, or when traversing the entity graph from a single name.. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Zoning Signal MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the Zoning Signal MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for describe_entity: 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 Zoning Signal. Nothing to install.
describe_entity 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 describe_entity 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 describe_entity. 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.
describe_entity is provided by the Zoning Signal MCP server (https://zoningsignal.com/mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
Deterministic rules across all 17 Zoning Signal tools. Per-identity grants. Full audit log. Live in minutes. Nothing to install.
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