This record as markdown: /tools/cowork-bench/get-merged-cells.md
What get_merged_cells does on Cowork Bench
AI agents call get_merged_cells to retrieve information from Cowork Bench without modifying anything. It is typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
Why get_merged_cells is rated Low
This tool retrieves information about merged cells in a worksheet without creating, modifying, deleting, or executing any operations. It is a straightforward read-only query operation that returns existing cell structure information. The verb 'get' and absence of any modification language confirm this is a Read category tool.
From the tool's definition Tool name 'get_merged_cells' and description 'Get merged cells in a worksheet' indicate a retrieval/query operation with no modification of data.
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
The rule that runs get_merged_cells 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 get_merged_cells, this is the rule to start with:
get_merged_cells 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 Cowork Bench, apply this rule, and every get_merged_cells call is checked against it from then on.
Questions about get_merged_cells
Get merged cells in a worksheet. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Cowork Bench MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the Cowork Bench MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for get_merged_cells: 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.
get_merged_cells 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 get_merged_cells 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 get_merged_cells. 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.
get_merged_cells 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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