pull
Pulls a Docker image from a registry and returns structured result with digest info.
This record as markdown: /tools/io-github-dave-london-docker/pull.md
What pull does on Docker
AI agents invoke pull 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 pull is rated High
Pulling a Docker image is not a read-only operation; it executes a network request to an external registry and writes image layers to the local Docker daemon's storage. This constitutes an external operation with real side effects (disk consumption, introduction of potentially untrusted image content), placing it in the Execute category. Misuse could introduce malicious images into the environment.
From the tool's definition 'Pulls a Docker image from a registry' — triggers an external network operation that fetches and stores an image locally, with side effects beyond simple data retrieval.
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
The rule that runs pull 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 pull, this is the rule to start with:
pull 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 pull call is checked against it from then on.
Questions about pull
Pulls a Docker image from a registry and returns structured result with digest info. 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 pull: 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.
pull 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 pull 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 pull. 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.
pull 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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