This record as markdown: /tools/cowork-bench/delete-email.md
What delete_email does on Cowork Bench
AI agents call delete_email to permanently remove resources in Cowork Bench, typically in cleanup and lifecycle workflows. It does its job in a single call, and there is no undo.
Why delete_email is rated Critical
Deleting an email is a destructive action that permanently removes data without the ability to undo it. This falls under the Destructive category. Severity is high because email deletion can result in loss of important correspondence, attachments, and business records that may have legal or compliance implications. The confidence is very high because the tool's purpose is explicitly stated as deletion.
From the tool's definition Tool name is 'delete_email' with description 'Delete an email'. The verb 'delete' is unambiguous and the action is irreversible.
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
The rule that runs delete_email safely
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway: it sits between your AI agents and Cowork Bench, and checks every tool call against a rule you set before the call runs. Nothing changes on the server itself. For delete_email, this is the rule to start with:
delete_email is removed from the agent's tool list entirely, so the agent never calls it. The rest of the server keeps working.
The button opens the PolicyLayer dashboard: create your workspace, connect Cowork Bench, apply this rule, and every delete_email call is checked against it from then on.
Questions about delete_email
Delete an email. It is categorised as a Destructive tool in the Cowork Bench MCP Server, which means it can permanently delete or destroy data. Block by default and require explicit approval.
Register the Cowork Bench MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for delete_email: 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 Cowork Bench. Nothing to install.
delete_email is a Destructive tool with critical risk. Critical-risk tools should be blocked by default and only enabled with explicit human approval.
Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the delete_email 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 delete_email. 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.
delete_email is provided by the Cowork Bench MCP server (0717376/cowork_bench). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
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