Get task status 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 call task_status 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 tool queries task metadata and state from a database. While it accesses an enterprise swarm system, the function is purely informational retrieval with no side effects. The guidance that TodoWrite is "simpler and faster" for in-session use confirms this is a data-retrieval tool, not a write or execute tool. Risk is low because querying task status cannot alter system state or trigger unwanted actions.
From the tool's definition Tool name is "task_status" and description states "Get task status"; it retrieves task information from persistent storage (.swarm/memory.db) without modifying, deleting, or executing external operations.
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
Get task status 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 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 task_status: 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_status 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 task_status 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_status. 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_status 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.