This record as markdown: /tools/io-github-dave-london-npm/api.md
What api does on Npm
AI agents invoke api to trigger actions in Npm. 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 api is rated High
The tool explicitly makes 'arbitrary GitHub API calls', meaning it can perform any operation against the GitHub API including reads, writes, and destructive actions depending on the arguments passed. Because the scope is arbitrary and unspecified, the most severe applicable category is Execute (potentially Destructive or Write depending on actual calls).
From the tool's definition Makes arbitrary GitHub API calls via
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
The rule that runs api safely
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway: it sits between your AI agents and Npm, and checks every tool call against a rule you set before the call runs. Nothing changes on the server itself. For api, this is the rule to start with:
api 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 Npm, apply this rule, and every api call is checked against it from then on.
Questions about api
Makes arbitrary GitHub API calls via. It is categorised as a Execute tool in the Npm MCP Server, which means it can trigger actions or run processes. Use rate limits and argument validation.
Register the Npm MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for api: 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 Npm. Nothing to install.
api 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 api 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 api. 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.
api is provided by the Npm MCP server (Dave-London/Pare). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
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