get-block · Bitcoin MCP Server MCP: Risk & Policy

WHAT IT DOES

What get-block does on Bitcoin MCP Server

AI agents call get-block to retrieve information from Bitcoin MCP Server without modifying anything — typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.

WHY IT NEEDS A POLICY

Why get-block needs a policy

This tool retrieves immutable blockchain data without modifying state, executing code, or causing side effects. It is a pure read operation querying historical block information from a public API. The blast radius of misuse is minimal—an AI agent cannot cause financial loss or data destruction through read-only blockchain queries.

From the tool's definition Tool description states 'Get information about a Bitcoin block' and server explicitly provides 'tools to get address statistics, transaction history, UTXOs, transaction details, and block information.' The verb 'Get' and context of querying blockchain data…

Attacks that exploit this kind of access

Questions about get-block

What does the get-block tool do? +

Get information about a Bitcoin block. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Bitcoin MCP Server MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.

How do I enforce a policy on get-block? +

Register the Bitcoin MCP Server MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for get-block: 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 Bitcoin MCP Server. Nothing to install.

What risk level is get-block? +

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

Can I rate-limit get-block? +

Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the get-block 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 get-block completely? +

Set action: deny in the PolicyLayer policy for get-block. 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 get-block? +

get-block is provided by the Bitcoin MCP Server MCP server (jamesanz/bitcoin-mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.