ps
Lists Docker containers with structured status, ports, and state information.
This record as markdown: /tools/io-github-dave-london-http/ps.md
What ps does on Http
AI agents call ps to retrieve information from Http without modifying anything. It is typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
Why ps is rated Low
This is a standard Docker introspection command that queries and returns information about running containers. It has no side effects—it does not create, modify, delete, or execute anything. The output is informational only, making it a pure Read operation with low severity risk.
From the tool's definition Tool name 'ps' and description 'Lists Docker containers with structured status, ports, and state information' indicate a read-only query operation that retrieves container metadata without modification.
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
The rule that runs ps safely
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway: it sits between your AI agents and Http, and checks every tool call against a rule you set before the call runs. Nothing changes on the server itself. For ps, this is the rule to start with:
ps is read-only, so it stays allowed. Everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.
The button opens the PolicyLayer dashboard: create your workspace, connect Http, apply this rule, and every ps call is checked against it from then on.
Questions about ps
Lists Docker containers with structured status, ports, and state information. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Http MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the Http MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for ps: 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 Http. Nothing to install.
ps 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 ps 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 ps. 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.
ps is provided by the Http MCP server (@paretools/http). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
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