AI agents call read_text_file to retrieve information from Apple Shortcuts without modifying anything — typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
This tool retrieves file contents without side effects. It is a straightforward read operation that queries or fetches data from the filesystem. No data is created, modified, deleted, or executed. Severity is low because file read operations have minimal blast radius unless the file contains extremely sensitive information—a risk better mitigated at the policy/access control layer than the tool category.
From the tool's definition Tool name 'read_text_file' and description 'Read the contents of a text file directly' explicitly indicate retrieval of file data with no modification or deletion.
Documented attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access read_text_file gives an agent:
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway — it sits between your AI agents and Apple Shortcuts, and nothing reaches the server without passing your rules. This is the rule we recommend for read_text_file:
{
"version": "1",
"default": "deny",
"tools": {
"read_text_file": {}
}
}read_text_file is read-only, so it stays allowed — but everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.
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Read the contents of a text file directly. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Apple Shortcuts MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the Apple Shortcuts MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for read_text_file: 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 Apple Shortcuts. Nothing to install.
read_text_file 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 read_text_file 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 read_text_file. 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.
read_text_file is provided by the Apple Shortcuts MCP server (@mindstone/mcp-server-apple-shortcuts). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
Start from Apple Shortcuts, add the rest of your stack, and see everything your agents can call. Then put policy on all of it.
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423 Apple Shortcuts tools catalogued and risk-classified — across an index of 43,000+ MCP servers.