parse_document
Read and extract text from a local document file. Supports PDF, DOCX, XLSX, PPTX, CSV, JSON, and Markdown.
This record as markdown: /tools/cowork-os/parse-document.md
What parse_document does on CoWork OS
AI agents call parse_document to retrieve information from CoWork OS without modifying anything. It is typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
Why parse_document is rated Low
The tool only reads and parses local documents (PDF, DOCX, XLSX, etc.) to extract text. There are no write, execute, or destructive operations involved. The main risk is exposing sensitive local file contents to an AI agent, but the blast radius is low since it cannot modify or delete anything.
From the tool's definition "Read and extract text from a local document file" — purely reads and extracts content with no side effects mentioned
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
The rule that runs parse_document safely
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway: it sits between your AI agents and CoWork OS, and checks every tool call against a rule you set before the call runs. Nothing changes on the server itself. For parse_document, this is the rule to start with:
parse_document 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 OS, apply this rule, and every parse_document call is checked against it from then on.
Questions about parse_document
Read and extract text from a local document file. Supports PDF, DOCX, XLSX, PPTX, CSV, JSON, and Markdown. It is categorised as a Read tool in the CoWork OS MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the CoWork OS MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for parse_document: 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 OS. Nothing to install.
parse_document 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 parse_document 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 parse_document. 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.
parse_document is provided by the CoWork OS MCP server (CoWork-OS/CoWork-OS). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
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