swarm_shutdown

Server Claude Flow claude-flow

Category Write

Risk class Medium

Parameters 00 required

WHAT IT DOES

What swarm_shutdown does on Claude Flow

AI agents use swarm_shutdown 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 swarm_shutdown needs a policy

An AI agent can call swarm_shutdown faster than any human can review — one bad instruction and it creates or modifies resources in Claude Flow by the hundred, each call as confident as the last.

Attacks that exploit this kind of access

Recommended rule Ready

Verdict

swarm_shutdown Rate-limited

swarm_shutdown 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": {
    "swarm_shutdown": {
      "limits": [
        {
          "counter": "swarm_shutdown_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 swarm_shutdown

What does the swarm_shutdown tool do? +

Shutdown a swarm and update persistent state Use when native Task tool is wrong because you need multi-agent coordination — topology (hierarchical/mesh/star), consensus (raft/byzantine/gossip/crdt/quorum), shared memory namespace, or anti-drift gates. For independent one-shot subagents, native Task is fine; spawn each separately. 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 swarm_shutdown? +

Register the Claude Flow MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for swarm_shutdown: 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 swarm_shutdown? +

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

Can I rate-limit swarm_shutdown? +

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

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

swarm_shutdown 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.