list_messages

What list_messages does on AirMCP

AI agents call list_messages to retrieve information from AirMCP without modifying anything. It is typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.

Why list_messages is rated Low

This tool retrieves and queries existing message data from a mailbox without creating, modifying, or deleting any content. It is a non-destructive information retrieval operation with minimal blast radius if misused by an AI agent—the worst outcome would be exposure of message metadata or content the agent is already authorized to access.

From the tool's definition Tool name 'list_messages' and description 'List recent messages in a mailbox' indicate a retrieval operation with no side effects. The verb 'list' is explicitly listed in the Read category guidelines.

The rule that runs list_messages safely

PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway: it sits between your AI agents and AirMCP, and checks every tool call against a rule you set before the call runs. Nothing changes on the server itself. For list_messages, this is the rule to start with:

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

Questions about list_messages