TIMING tool. Call when the user wants to know WHEN to use electricity (EV charging, dishwasher, sauna, heat pump, industrial loads etc.). Also good for "is electricity cheap now?" questions. Key agent fields: - energy_state ("cheap" / "normal" / "expensive" / "negative") - current_hour_is_cheap (...
Part of the Elecz Electricity Price Signal API server.
Free to start. No card required.
AI agents invoke cheapest_hours to trigger processes or run actions in Elecz Electricity Price Signal API. Execute operations can have side effects beyond the immediate call -- triggering builds, sending notifications, or starting workflows. Rate limits and argument validation are essential to prevent runaway execution.
cheapest_hours can trigger processes with real-world consequences. An uncontrolled agent might start dozens of builds, send mass notifications, or kick off expensive compute jobs. PolicyLayer enforces rate limits and validates arguments to keep execution within safe bounds.
Execute tools trigger processes. Rate-limit and validate arguments to prevent unintended side effects.
{
"version": "1",
"default": "deny",
"tools": {
"cheapest_hours": {
"limits": [
{
"counter": "cheapest_hours_rate",
"window": "minute",
"max": 10,
"scope": "grant"
}
]
}
}
}See the full Elecz Electricity Price Signal API policy for all 3 tools.
These attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access cheapest_hours gives an agent. Each links to the full case and the policy that stops it:
Other execute tools across the catalogue. The same approach applies to each: rate-limit and validate the arguments.
TIMING tool. Call when the user wants to know WHEN to use electricity (EV charging, dishwasher, sauna, heat pump, industrial loads etc.). Also good for "is electricity cheap now?" questions. Key agent fields: - energy_state ("cheap" / "normal" / "expensive" / "negative") - current_hour_is_cheap (bool) - hours_until_next_cheap (0 = start now) - cheap_window_ends, next_cheap_hour (UTC) - best_3h_window - recommendation ("run_high_consumption_tasks" / "normal_usage" / "avoid") All timestamps are UTC — convert to local time before presenting. data_complete: false = treat signals with caution. Not available: AU, NZ, KR, KR-JEJU, ZA, PH-LUZ, PH-VIS, PH-MIN. Args: zone: Any supported zone (see spot_price for full list). Use exact codes only — do not guess or abbreviate. AU, NZ, KR, KR-JEJU, ZA, PH-* return available: false. hours: Number of cheapest slots to return (default 5). window: Hours to look ahead (default 24).. It is categorised as a Execute tool in the Elecz Electricity Price Signal API MCP Server, which means it can trigger actions or run processes. Use rate limits and argument validation.
Register the Elecz Electricity Price Signal API MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for cheapest_hours: 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 Elecz Electricity Price Signal API. Nothing to install.
cheapest_hours is a Execute tool with high risk. Execute tools should be rate-limited and have argument validation enabled.
Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the cheapest_hours 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 cheapest_hours. 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.
cheapest_hours is provided by the Elecz Electricity Price Signal API MCP server (https://elecz.com/mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
Deterministic rules across all 3 Elecz Electricity Price Signal API tools. Per-identity grants. Full audit log. Live in minutes. Nothing to install.
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