Medium Risk

kill_switch

Emergency halt for an AI agent. Issues a kill-switch directive to immediately stop agent operations.

Part of the Vectordecisions server.

kill_switch can modify Vectordecisions data, with no limits today. PolicyLayer puts allow, deny, and rate-limit rules on every call. Live in minutes.

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AI agents use kill_switch to create or modify resources in Vectordecisions. Write operations carry medium risk because an autonomous agent could trigger bulk unintended modifications. Rate limits prevent a single agent session from making hundreds of changes in rapid succession. Argument validation ensures the agent passes expected values.

Without a policy, an AI agent could call kill_switch repeatedly, creating or modifying resources faster than any human could review. PolicyLayer's rate limiting ensures write operations happen at a controlled pace, and argument validation catches malformed or unexpected inputs before they reach Vectordecisions.

Write tools can modify data. A rate limit prevents runaway bulk operations from AI agents.

policy.json
{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "kill_switch": {
      "limits": [
        {
          "counter": "kill_switch_rate",
          "window": "minute",
          "max": 30,
          "scope": "grant"
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}

See the full Vectordecisions policy for all 4 tools.

Get this rule live on your own Vectordecisions server in minutes. PolicyLayer enforces it on every call, before it runs.

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These attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access kill_switch gives an agent. Each links to the full case and the policy that stops it:

Browse the full MCP Attack Database →

Every attack above starts with a tool call. PolicyLayer checks each one against your policy first, so kill_switch only ever does what you allow.

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Other write tools across the catalogue. The same approach applies to each: rate-limit and validate the arguments.

What does the kill_switch tool do? +

Emergency halt for an AI agent. Issues a kill-switch directive to immediately stop agent operations.. It is categorised as a Write tool in the Vectordecisions MCP Server, which means it can create or modify data. Consider rate limits to prevent runaway writes.

How do I enforce a policy on kill_switch? +

Register the Vectordecisions MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for kill_switch: 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 Vectordecisions. Nothing to install.

What risk level is kill_switch? +

kill_switch is a Write tool with medium risk. Write tools should be rate-limited to prevent accidental bulk modifications.

Can I rate-limit kill_switch? +

Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the kill_switch 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 kill_switch completely? +

Set action: deny in the PolicyLayer policy for kill_switch. 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 kill_switch? +

kill_switch is provided by the Vectordecisions MCP server (vectordecisions-mcp-server). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.

Enforce policy on every Vectordecisions tool call.

Deterministic rules across all 4 Vectordecisions tools. Per-identity grants. Full audit log. Live in minutes. Nothing to install.

Free to start. No card required.

4,600+ MCP servers and 31,000+ tools scanned and risk-classified.

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