Medium Risk

approve_erc20_spender

Approve another address to spend tokens on behalf of the owner. This is used for allowing another address (like a contract) to transfer your tokens. Requires token contract address, spender address, and amount as input. Returns the transaction hash upon successful approval.

Handles credentials or secrets (private_key)

Part of the COTI MCP Server MCP server. Enforce policies on this tool with Intercept, the open-source MCP proxy.

AI agents use approve_erc20_spender to create or modify resources in COTI MCP Server. Write operations carry medium risk because an autonomous agent could trigger bulk unintended modifications. Rate limits prevent a single agent session from making hundreds of changes in rapid succession. Argument validation ensures the agent passes expected values.

Without a policy, an AI agent could call approve_erc20_spender repeatedly, creating or modifying resources faster than any human could review. Intercept's rate limiting ensures write operations happen at a controlled pace, and argument validation catches malformed or unexpected inputs before they reach COTI MCP Server.

Write tools can modify data. A rate limit prevents runaway bulk operations from AI agents.

davibauer-coti-mcp.yaml
tools:
  approve_erc20_spender:
    rules:
      - action: allow
        rate_limit:
          max: 30
          window: 60

See the full COTI MCP Server policy for all 44 tools.

Tool Name approve_erc20_spender
Category Write
Risk Level Medium

View all 44 tools →

Agents calling write-class tools like approve_erc20_spender have been implicated in these attack patterns. Read the full case and prevention policy for each:

Browse the full MCP Attack Database →

Other tools in the Write risk category across the catalogue. The same policy patterns (rate-limit, validate) apply to each.

What does the approve_erc20_spender tool do? +

Approve another address to spend tokens on behalf of the owner. This is used for allowing another address (like a contract) to transfer your tokens. Requires token contract address, spender address, and amount as input. Returns the transaction hash upon successful approval.. It is categorised as a Write tool in the COTI MCP Server MCP Server, which means it can create or modify data. Consider rate limits to prevent runaway writes.

How do I enforce a policy on approve_erc20_spender? +

Add a rule in your Intercept YAML policy under the tools section for approve_erc20_spender. You can allow, deny, rate-limit, or validate arguments. Then run Intercept as a proxy in front of the COTI MCP Server MCP server.

What risk level is approve_erc20_spender? +

approve_erc20_spender is a Write tool with medium risk. Write tools should be rate-limited to prevent accidental bulk modifications.

Can I rate-limit approve_erc20_spender? +

Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the approve_erc20_spender rule in your Intercept 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 approve_erc20_spender completely? +

Set action: deny in the Intercept policy for approve_erc20_spender. 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 approve_erc20_spender? +

approve_erc20_spender is provided by the COTI MCP Server MCP server (davibauer/coti-mcp). Intercept sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.

Let agents act without letting them run wild.

Deterministic policy on every MCP tool call. Per-identity grants. Full audit log.

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