Low Risk

play_card

Play a card on your turn. After you play, AI opponents auto-play until it is your turn again. Card format: "♠Q" or "QS". Examples: "♣2"/"2C", "♠Q"/"QS", "♥10"/"10H".

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

AI agents call play_card to retrieve information from Hearts without modifying any data. This is common in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows where the agent needs context before taking action. Because read operations don't change state, they are generally safe to allow without restrictions -- but you may still want rate limits to control API costs.

Even though play_card only reads data, uncontrolled read access can leak sensitive information or rack up API costs. An agent caught in a retry loop could make thousands of calls per minute. A rate limit gives you a safety net without blocking legitimate use.

Read-only tools are safe to allow by default. No rate limit needed unless you want to control costs.

hearts.yaml
tools:
  play_card:
    rules:
      - action: allow

See the full Hearts policy for all 8 tools.

Tool Name play_card
Category Read
MCP Server Hearts MCP Server
Risk Level Low

Agents calling read-class tools like play_card 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 Read risk category across the catalogue. The same policy patterns (rate-limit, allow) apply to each.

What does the play_card tool do? +

Play a card on your turn. After you play, AI opponents auto-play until it is your turn again. Card format: "♠Q" or "QS". Examples: "♣2"/"2C", "♠Q"/"QS", "♥10"/"10H".. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Hearts MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.

How do I enforce a policy on play_card? +

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

What risk level is play_card? +

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

Can I rate-limit play_card? +

Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the play_card 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 play_card completely? +

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

play_card is provided by the Hearts MCP server (hearts-mcp-server). Intercept sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.

Enforce policies on Hearts

Open source. One binary. Zero dependencies.

npx -y @policylayer/intercept
github.com/policylayer/intercept →
// GET IN TOUCH

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