screenshot

Capture the current controlled window in a native desktop app. Call this first.

SERVERCoWork OS SOURCECoWork-OS/CoWork-OS

Low RISK CLASS

Category Read

Parameters 00 required

Recommended Allowedsee the rule below

Registry record Grade F, identity unverified Pull the record →

This record as markdown: /tools/cowork-os/screenshot.md

WHAT IT DOES

What screenshot does on CoWork OS

AI agents call screenshot 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.

RISK

Why screenshot is rated Low

Screenshot takes a read-only snapshot of the current window state without modifying any data. However, it can expose sensitive on-screen content (passwords, private data, confidential documents) visible in the captured window, raising the severity to medium despite being a read operation.

From the tool's definition Capture the current controlled window in a native desktop app

Attacks that exploit this kind of access

RECOMMENDED RULE

The rule that runs screenshot 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 screenshot, this is the rule to start with:

screenshot Allowed

screenshot is read-only, so it stays allowed. Everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.

View as policy code

policy.json

{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "screenshot": {}
  }
}

ALLOW ONLY THIS TOOL → Instant setup, no code required.

The button opens the PolicyLayer dashboard: create your workspace, connect CoWork OS, apply this rule, and every screenshot call is checked against it from then on.

FAQ

Questions about screenshot

What does the screenshot tool do? +

Capture the current controlled window in a native desktop app. Call this first. It is categorised as a Read tool in the CoWork OS MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.

How do I enforce a policy on screenshot? +

Register the CoWork OS MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for screenshot: 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.

What risk level is screenshot? +

screenshot is a Read tool with low risk. Read-only tools are generally safe to allow by default.

Can I rate-limit screenshot? +

Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the screenshot 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.

How do I block screenshot completely? +

Set action: deny in the PolicyLayer policy for screenshot. 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.

What MCP server provides screenshot? +

screenshot 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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