Assign a task to one or more agents Use when native TodoWrite is wrong because you need cross-session task persistence, agent assignment, dependency tracking, or completion analytics in the .swarm/memory.db. For in-session checklists native TodoWrite is simpler and faster.
AI agents use task_assign 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.
The tool creates and persists task records in a database (.swarm/memory.db) with associated metadata (assignment, dependencies, analytics). This is a reversible data modification operation—tasks can be updated or removed—making it Write rather than Destructive.
From the tool's definition Assign a task to one or more agents; creates or modifies data in .swarm/memory.db (task assignment, dependency tracking, completion analytics); persistent state changes across sessions.
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
Assign a task to one or more agents Use when native TodoWrite is wrong because you need cross-session task persistence, agent assignment, dependency tracking, or completion analytics in the .swarm/memory.db. For in-session checklists native TodoWrite is simpler and faster. 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.
Register the Claude Flow MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for task_assign: 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.
task_assign is a Write tool with medium risk. Write tools should be rate-limited to prevent accidental bulk modifications.
Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the task_assign 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 task_assign. 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.
task_assign 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.