Low Risk

message_stats

Aggregate message statistics with flexible time-series grouping. Returns counts, sent/received splits, and averages grouped by day, week, month, year, hour, or day-of-week. By default excludes contacts you've never replied to.

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

AI agents call message_stats to retrieve information from iMessage MCP 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 message_stats 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.

imessage-mcp.yaml
tools:
  message_stats:
    rules:
      - action: allow

See the full iMessage MCP policy for all 25 tools.

Tool Name message_stats
Category Read
Risk Level Low

View all 25 tools →

Agents calling read-class tools like message_stats 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 message_stats tool do? +

Aggregate message statistics with flexible time-series grouping. Returns counts, sent/received splits, and averages grouped by day, week, month, year, hour, or day-of-week. By default excludes contacts you've never replied to.. It is categorised as a Read tool in the iMessage MCP MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.

How do I enforce a policy on message_stats? +

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

What risk level is message_stats? +

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

Can I rate-limit message_stats? +

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

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

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

Enforce policies on iMessage MCP

Open source. One binary. Zero dependencies.

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

Have a question or want to learn more? Send us a message.

Message sent.

We'll get back to you soon.