sudo_session
Sudo: elevate privileges, check/drop/extend session, preflight tool checks
This record as markdown: /tools/defense/sudo-session.md
What sudo_session does on Defense
AI agents invoke sudo_session to trigger actions in Defense. What it does depends on the arguments the agent supplies, and its effects often reach beyond the immediate call: builds kicked off, notifications sent, workflows started.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
tools | array | — | Tool names to pre-check for sudo/dependency requirements |
action | string | Yes | Sudo session action |
minutes | number | — | Minutes to extend session by (max 480) |
password | string | — | Sudo password (required for elevate). Stored securely, never logged. |
timeout_minutes | number | — | Session timeout in minutes (max 480) |
Parameters from the server's own tool schema.
Why sudo_session is rated High
This tool manages sudo privilege elevation, which allows executing commands with root/superuser permissions. Misuse by an AI agent could grant unrestricted system access, enabling arbitrary command execution, configuration changes, or destructive actions. Privilege escalation is one of the highest-risk operations on any system.
From the tool's definition elevate privileges, check/drop/extend session, preflight tool checks
Risk signalsHandles credentials or secrets (password) · Admin/system-level operation
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
The rule that runs sudo_session safely
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway: it sits between your AI agents and Defense, and checks every tool call against a rule you set before the call runs. Nothing changes on the server itself. For sudo_session, this is the rule to start with:
sudo_session stays usable, but rate-capped: a runaway agent can't fire it dozens of times a minute. Everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.
The button opens the PolicyLayer dashboard: create your workspace, connect Defense, apply this rule, and every sudo_session call is checked against it from then on.
Questions about sudo_session
Sudo: elevate privileges, check/drop/extend session, preflight tool checks. It is categorised as a Execute tool in the Defense MCP Server, which means it can trigger actions or run processes. Use rate limits and argument validation.
sudo_session accepts 5 parameters: tools, action, minutes, password, timeout_minutes. Required: action. The full parameter table on this page comes from the server's own tool schema.
Register the Defense MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for sudo_session: 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 Defense. Nothing to install.
sudo_session is a Execute tool with high risk. Execute tools should be rate-limited and have argument validation enabled.
Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the sudo_session 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 sudo_session. 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.
sudo_session is provided by the Defense MCP server (defense-mcp-server). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
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