progress_sync · Claude Flow MCP: Risk & Policy

WHAT IT DOES

What progress_sync does on Claude Flow

AI agents use progress_sync to create or update resources in Claude Flow — usually the action step of a workflow, after the agent has gathered context. Every call changes real data in your Claude Flow environment.

WHY IT NEEDS A POLICY

Why progress_sync needs a policy

The tool writes progress metrics to a file and persists state across sessions. This is a Write operation — it creates/modifies data (metrics files, audit trail) in a reversible way. It does not execute arbitrary code, delete data, or involve financial operations.

From the tool's definition 'Calculate and persist V3 progress metrics to file' and 'cross-session goal-completion tracking with witness/audit trail'

Attacks that exploit this kind of access

Recommended rule Ready

Verdict

progress_sync Rate-limited

progress_sync stays usable, but capped — an agent stuck in a loop can't make hundreds of changes a minute. Everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.

View as policy code

policy.json

{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "progress_sync": {
      "limits": [
        {
          "counter": "progress_sync_rate",
          "window": "minute",
          "max": 30,
          "scope": "grant"
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}

LIMIT THIS TOOL →

Instant setup, no code required.

PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway: every tool call is checked against your rule before it reaches Claude Flow, so you can run agents against it safely.

FAQ

Questions about progress_sync

What does the progress_sync tool do? +

Calculate and persist V3 progress metrics to file Use when native TodoWrite is wrong because you need cross-session goal-completion tracking with witness/audit trail. For in-session checklists, native TodoWrite is simpler. It is categorised as a Write tool in the Claude Flow MCP Server, which means it can create or modify data. Consider rate limits to prevent runaway writes.

How do I enforce a policy on progress_sync? +

Register the Claude Flow MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for progress_sync: 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.

What risk level is progress_sync? +

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

Can I rate-limit progress_sync? +

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

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

progress_sync 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.