approval_list

THE RISK

Low Risk

Why approval_list needs a policy

This tool retrieves and queries historical approval decisions from a log or registry. It has no side effects, does not execute code, does not modify data, and does not commit financial transactions. The action is purely informational (list/fetch).

From the tool's definition Tool name is 'approval_list' and description states it 'List[s] recent MCP-managed approval decisions' — a retrieval operation with no modification capability.

Documented attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access approval_list gives an agent:

POLICY

How to control approval_list

PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway — it sits between your AI agents and LLM CLI Gateway, and nothing reaches the server without passing your rules. This is the rule we recommend for approval_list:

policy.json

{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "approval_list": {}
  }
}

approval_list is read-only, so it stays allowed — but everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.

Create a free account and register LLM CLI Gateway — nothing to install.
Add this policy — paste it, or build it visually.
Point your MCP client (Claude, Cursor, anything) at your gateway URL.

CAP THIS TOOL →

Free to start. No card required.

EXPLORE

Related tools and policies

More LLM CLI Gateway tools

Destructive llm_job_cancel Cancel a running gateway async or deferred-sync job by jobId. Destructive session_clear_all Delete all gateway session records, optionally scoped to one provider. Destructive session_delete Delete a gateway session record by ID (also removes any gateway-owned worktree attached to Execute claude_request Run a Claude Code CLI request synchronously (when async jobs are enabled, auto-defers to a Execute claude_request_async Start a Claude Code CLI request as a durable background job. Poll with llm_job_status, col Execute cli_upgrade Plan (dryRun, default true) or execute an upgrade for one provider CLI using its native up Execute codex_fork_session Fork an existing Codex session into a new branch (codex fork <ID|--last>) and run a prompt Execute codex_request Run an OpenAI Codex CLI request synchronously (when async jobs are enabled, auto-defers to

All 46 LLM CLI Gateway tools →

Read tools on other servers

M-Team MCP Server get_torrent_detail YouTube MCP Server search_channel Android Forensics ADB MCP Server parse_browser_history 0xarchive web3_challenge

Go deeper

The MCP Attack Database → Documented attack patterns against MCP deployments — and the policies that stop them.
Data exfiltration → How read access becomes an exfiltration channel when chained with untrusted content.
MCP token cost → What connecting this server costs in context-window tokens on every request.
Rate Limiting MCP Tool Calls: A Practical Guide →
MCP Security: Why Prompt Guardrails Aren't Enough →

FAQ

Questions about approval_list

What does the approval_list tool do? +

List recent MCP-managed approval decisions recorded by the gateway (approvalStrategy: mcp_managed). It is categorised as a Read tool in the LLM CLI Gateway MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.

How do I enforce a policy on approval_list? +

Register the LLM CLI Gateway MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for approval_list: 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 LLM CLI Gateway. Nothing to install.

What risk level is approval_list? +

approval_list is a Read tool with low risk. Read-only tools are generally safe to allow by default.

Can I rate-limit approval_list? +

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

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

approval_list is provided by the LLM CLI Gateway MCP server (llm-cli-gateway). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.

Enforce policy on every LLM CLI Gateway tool call.

Start from LLM CLI Gateway, add the rest of your stack, and see everything your agents can call. Then put policy on all of it.

CHECK YOUR STACK →