manage_system
System config, loggers, voice/audio, and binding scans. action: system_info, services, service_config_get, service_config_update, logger_list, logger_set, transformations, templates, trigger_scan, voice_say, voice_interpret, voices, audio_sinks, audio_sources, habot.
This record as markdown: /tools/deswong-openhab-mcp/manage-system.md
What manage_system does on Openhab
AI agents invoke manage_system to trigger actions in Openhab. 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.
Why manage_system is rated High
This tool spans multiple categories. 'service_config_update' and 'logger_set' are Write operations modifying system config. 'trigger_scan', 'voice_say', and 'voice_interpret' trigger external operations whose effects depend on arguments (Execute). Since Execute > Write, the tool is classified as Execute.
From the tool's definition actions include 'service_config_update', 'logger_set', 'trigger_scan', 'voice_say', 'voice_interpret' — these trigger external operations, modify system configuration, and execute voice/audio commands
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
The rule that runs manage_system safely
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway: it sits between your AI agents and Openhab, and checks every tool call against a rule you set before the call runs. Nothing changes on the server itself. For manage_system, this is the rule to start with:
manage_system 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 Openhab, apply this rule, and every manage_system call is checked against it from then on.
Questions about manage_system
System config, loggers, voice/audio, and binding scans. action: system_info, services, service_config_get, service_config_update, logger_list, logger_set, transformations, templates, trigger_scan, voice_say, voice_interpret, voices, audio_sinks, audio_sources, habot. It is categorised as a Execute tool in the Openhab MCP Server, which means it can trigger actions or run processes. Use rate limits and argument validation.
Register the Openhab MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for manage_system: 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 Openhab. Nothing to install.
manage_system 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 manage_system 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 manage_system. 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.
manage_system is provided by the Openhab MCP server (deswong/openhab-mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
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