cmake
CMake build system operations: configure, build, test, list-presets, install, clean.
This record as markdown: /tools/io-github-dave-london-docker/cmake.md
What cmake does on Docker
AI agents invoke cmake to trigger actions in Docker. What it does depends on the arguments the agent supplies, and its effects often reach beyond the immediate call: builds kicked off, notifications sent, workflows started.
Why cmake is rated High
CMake operations trigger compilation and build processes whose effects depend on the CMakeLists.txt and project arguments. While not destructive by default, the build process executes arbitrary code defined in build scripts and can modify the filesystem unpredictably.
From the tool's definition Tool description explicitly lists 'configure, build, test, list-presets, install, clean' — these are actions that compile code, run tests, and modify the filesystem with built artifacts.
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
The rule that runs cmake safely
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway: it sits between your AI agents and Docker, and checks every tool call against a rule you set before the call runs. Nothing changes on the server itself. For cmake, this is the rule to start with:
cmake stays usable, but rate-capped: a runaway agent can't fire it dozens of times a minute. Everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.
The button opens the PolicyLayer dashboard: create your workspace, connect Docker, apply this rule, and every cmake call is checked against it from then on.
Questions about cmake
CMake build system operations: configure, build, test, list-presets, install, clean. It is categorised as a Execute tool in the Docker MCP Server, which means it can trigger actions or run processes. Use rate limits and argument validation.
Register the Docker MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for cmake: 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 Docker. Nothing to install.
cmake is a Execute tool with high risk. Execute tools should be rate-limited and have argument validation enabled.
Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the cmake 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 cmake. 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.
cmake is provided by the Docker MCP server (@paretools/docker). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
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