variable-list

THE RISK

Low Risk

Why variable-list needs a policy

This is a Read operation—it retrieves GitHub Actions variables without modifying them. However, severity is elevated to 'medium' rather than 'low' because the retrieved data includes 'values and metadata' of sensitive GitHub Actions variables, which could expose secrets, credentials, or other sensitive configuration details if an AI agent exfiltrates them.

From the tool's definition Tool description states it 'Lists repository, organization, or environment GitHub Actions variables with values and metadata.' The verb 'lists' indicates data retrieval with no modifications.

Documented attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access variable-list gives an agent:

POLICY

How to control variable-list

PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway — it sits between your AI agents and Make, and nothing reaches the server without passing your rules. This is the rule we recommend for variable-list:

policy.json

{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "variable-list": {}
  }
}

variable-list is read-only, so it stays allowed — but everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.

Create a free account and register Make — nothing to install.
Add this policy — paste it, or build it visually.
Point your MCP client (Claude, Cursor, anything) at your gateway URL.

CAP THIS TOOL →

Free to start. No card required.

EXPLORE

Related tools and policies

More Make tools

Destructive clean Runs dotnet clean to remove build outputs and returns structured results. Destructive remove Runs Destructive reset Resets the current HEAD to a specified state. Supports soft, mixed, hard, merge, and keep Destructive secret-delete Deletes a repository, organization, or environment GitHub Actions secret. Destructive tag Manages git tags. Supports list (default), create, and delete actions. List returns struct Destructive vagrant Manages Vagrant VMs: status, global-status, up, halt, destroy. Destructive variable-delete Deletes a repository, organization, or environment GitHub Actions variable. Destructive workspace Manages Terraform workspaces: list, select, create, or delete workspaces.

All 202 Make tools →

Read tools on other servers

M-Team MCP Server get_torrent_detail YouTube MCP Server search_channel Android Forensics ADB MCP Server parse_browser_history 0xarchive web3_challenge

Go deeper

Roll out MCP under one policy → Per-person scoped tokens, one central policy, and full audit across every server your team connects.
The MCP Attack Database → Documented attack patterns against MCP deployments — and the policies that stop them.
Data exfiltration → How read access becomes an exfiltration channel when chained with untrusted content.
MCP token cost → What connecting this server costs in context-window tokens on every request.
Rate Limiting MCP Tool Calls: A Practical Guide →
MCP Security: Why Prompt Guardrails Aren't Enough →
PolicyLayer vs alternatives → How deterministic, per-call MCP policy compares with gateways, identity layers, and authorisation platforms.

FAQ

Questions about variable-list

What does the variable-list tool do? +

Lists repository, organization, or environment GitHub Actions variables with values and metadata. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Make MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.

How do I enforce a policy on variable-list? +

Register the Make MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for variable-list: 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 Make. Nothing to install.

What risk level is variable-list? +

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

Can I rate-limit variable-list? +

Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the variable-list 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 variable-list completely? +

Set action: deny in the PolicyLayer policy for variable-list. 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 variable-list? +

variable-list is provided by the Make MCP server (Dave-London/Pare). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.

Enforce policy on every Make tool call.

Start from Make, add the rest of your stack, and see everything your agents can call. Then put policy on all of it.

CHECK YOUR STACK →