Query federated memory from a remote peer (PII-gated)
AI agents call federation_query to retrieve information from Claude Flow without modifying anything — typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
This is a Read operation: it retrieves data from remote peers without creating, modifying, or deleting records. However, severity is elevated to 'medium' rather than 'low' because federated memory queries in a multi-agent system could expose sensitive cross-peer data or system topology information if misused.
From the tool's definition Tool description states 'Query federated memory from a remote peer' — core action is querying/retrieving data with no modification indicated. The '(PII-gated)' qualifier confirms data access with protective controls.
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
Query federated memory from a remote peer (PII-gated). It is categorised as a Read tool in the Claude Flow MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the Claude Flow MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for federation_query: 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 Claude Flow. Nothing to install.
federation_query 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 federation_query 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 federation_query. 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.
federation_query is provided by the Claude Flow MCP server (claude-flow). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.