delete_range
Delete a range of cells and shift remaining cells.
This record as markdown: /tools/cowork-bench/delete-range.md
What delete_range does on Cowork Bench
AI agents call delete_range 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_range is rated Critical
This tool performs an irreversible deletion of data. Even though it operates on cells rather than entire records, deleting ranges of cells in a spreadsheet context constitutes destructive action that cannot be undone without external recovery mechanisms. The capability to remove data without recovery is characteristic of the Destructive category, which ranks higher than Write (reversible modifications).
From the tool's definition The tool is named 'delete_range' and the description explicitly states 'Delete a range of cells', which is an irreversible data removal operation.
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
The rule that runs delete_range 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_range, this is the rule to start with:
delete_range 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_range call is checked against it from then on.
Questions about delete_range
Delete a range of cells and shift remaining cells. 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_range: 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_range 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_range 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_range. 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_range 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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