list_issues

List a repo's issues (excludes PRs).

SERVERGitHub SOURCE@abhishekmcp/github

Low RISK CLASS

Category Read

Parameters 42 required

Recommended Allowedsee the rule below

Registry record Grade D, identity unverified Pull the record →

This record as markdown: /tools/io-github-abhishekkumar2021-github/list-issues.md

WHAT IT DOES

What list_issues does on GitHub

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

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`repo`	string	Yes	Repository name
`limit`	integer	—
`owner`	string	Yes	Repository owner (user or org)
`state`	string	—	Filter by state (default open)

Parameters from the server's own tool schema.

RISK

Why list_issues is rated Low

This tool queries and returns issue data from a repository without creating, modifying, deleting, or executing anything. It is a straightforward information retrieval action with no destructive or side-effect potential. The blast radius of misuse is minimal—an agent could retrieve more issues than intended, but no data is harmed.

From the tool's definition Tool name 'list_issues' and description 'List a repo's issues' indicate a retrieval operation with no side effects. The verb 'list' is a classic read operation.

Attacks that exploit this kind of access

RECOMMENDED RULE

The rule that runs list_issues safely

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

list_issues Allowed

list_issues is read-only, so it stays allowed. Everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.

View as policy code

policy.json

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

ALLOW ONLY THIS TOOL → Instant setup, no code required.

The button opens the PolicyLayer dashboard: create your workspace, connect GitHub, apply this rule, and every list_issues call is checked against it from then on.

FAQ

Questions about list_issues

What does the list_issues tool do? +

List a repo's issues (excludes PRs). It is categorised as a Read tool in the GitHub MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.

What parameters does list_issues accept? +

list_issues accepts 4 parameters: repo, limit, owner, state. Required: repo, owner. The full parameter table on this page comes from the server's own tool schema.

How do I enforce a policy on list_issues? +

Register the GitHub MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for list_issues: 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 GitHub. Nothing to install.

What risk level is list_issues? +

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

Can I rate-limit list_issues? +

Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the list_issues 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.

How do I block list_issues completely? +

Set action: deny in the PolicyLayer policy for list_issues. 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 list_issues? +

list_issues is provided by the GitHub MCP server (@abhishekmcp/github). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.

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