read_data

Read data from a worksheet

SERVERContextForge MCP Gateway SOURCEjrmatherly/mcp-context-forge

Low RISK CLASS

Category Read

Parameters 00 required

Recommended Allowedsee the rule below

Registry record Grade F, identity unverified Pull the record →

This record as markdown: /tools/jrmatherly-mcp-context-forge/read-data.md

WHAT IT DOES

What read_data does on ContextForge MCP Gateway

AI agents call read_data to retrieve information from ContextForge MCP Gateway without modifying anything. It is typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.

RISK

Why read_data is rated Low

This tool retrieves data without side effects. Reading from a worksheet is a query operation that does not create, modify, delete, or execute anything. The blast radius of misuse is minimal — an attacker could access sensitive data in the worksheet, but cannot alter system state or trigger external operations. Severity is low because the harm is limited to information disclosure from a single worksheet.

From the tool's definition Tool name is 'read_data' and description states 'Read data from a worksheet' — explicit read operation with no modification, deletion, or code execution.

Attacks that exploit this kind of access

RECOMMENDED RULE

The rule that runs read_data safely

PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway: it sits between your AI agents and ContextForge MCP Gateway, and checks every tool call against a rule you set before the call runs. Nothing changes on the server itself. For read_data, this is the rule to start with:

read_data Allowed

read_data is read-only, so it stays allowed. Everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.

View as policy code

policy.json

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

ALLOW ONLY THIS TOOL → Instant setup, no code required.

The button opens the PolicyLayer dashboard: create your workspace, connect ContextForge MCP Gateway, apply this rule, and every read_data call is checked against it from then on.

FAQ

Questions about read_data

What does the read_data tool do? +

Read data from a worksheet. It is categorised as a Read tool in the ContextForge MCP Gateway MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.

How do I enforce a policy on read_data? +

Register the ContextForge MCP Gateway MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for read_data: 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 ContextForge MCP Gateway. Nothing to install.

What risk level is read_data? +

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

Can I rate-limit read_data? +

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

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

read_data is provided by the ContextForge MCP Gateway MCP server (jrmatherly/mcp-context-forge). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.

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