Aggregate federal spending grouped by a specific dimension: NAICS industry code, PSC product/service code, awarding agency, funding agency, CFDA assistance program, or recipient. Returns top items with obligation amounts — useful for trend and breakdown analysis. Chain NAICS codes into usaspendin...
Risk signalsHigh parameter count (11 properties)
Part of the Usaspending Mcp Server server.
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AI agents call usaspending_spending_by_category to retrieve information from Usaspending Mcp Server 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 usaspending_spending_by_category 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.
{
"version": "1",
"default": "deny",
"tools": {
"usaspending_spending_by_category": {}
}
}See the full Usaspending Mcp Server policy for all 14 tools.
These attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access usaspending_spending_by_category gives an agent. Each links to the full case and the policy that stops it:
Other read tools across the catalogue. The same approach applies to each: allow, with a rate cap to control cost.
Aggregate federal spending grouped by a specific dimension: NAICS industry code, PSC product/service code, awarding agency, funding agency, CFDA assistance program, or recipient. Returns top items with obligation amounts — useful for trend and breakdown analysis. Chain NAICS codes into usaspending_search_awards filters or usaspending_autocomplete lookups.. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Usaspending Mcp Server MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the Usaspending Mcp Server MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for usaspending_spending_by_category: 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 Usaspending Mcp Server. Nothing to install.
usaspending_spending_by_category is a Read tool with low risk. Read-only tools are generally safe to allow by default.
Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the usaspending_spending_by_category 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 usaspending_spending_by_category. 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.
usaspending_spending_by_category is provided by the Usaspending Mcp Server MCP server (@cyanheads/usaspending-mcp-server). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
Deterministic rules across all 14 Usaspending Mcp Server tools. Per-identity grants. Full audit log. Live in minutes. Nothing to install.
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