describe_scene

Get an AI-readable description of the current canvas: element types, positions, connections, labels, spatial layout, and bounding box. Use this to understand what is on the canvas before making changes.

Server Excalidraw MCP Server kakacoding1/mcp_excalidraw
Category Read
Risk class Low
Parameters 00 required

What describe_scene does on Excalidraw MCP Server

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

Why describe_scene needs a policy

This tool performs a read-only query operation that inspects the current state of the Excalidraw canvas. It returns descriptive information about existing elements without creating, modifying, deleting, executing code, or committing financial actions. The tool is purely informational and safe for an AI agent to use for understanding canvas state before other operations.

From the tool's definition Tool description explicitly states 'Get an AI-readable description' and 'Use this to understand what is on the canvas before making changes.' The tool retrieves and queries data (element types, positions, connections, labels, spatial layout) with no side…

Questions about describe_scene

What does the describe_scene tool do? +

Get an AI-readable description of the current canvas: element types, positions, connections, labels, spatial layout, and bounding box. Use this to understand what is on the canvas before making changes. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Excalidraw MCP Server MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.

How do I enforce a policy on describe_scene? +

Register the Excalidraw MCP Server MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for describe_scene: 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 Excalidraw MCP Server. Nothing to install.

What risk level is describe_scene? +

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

Can I rate-limit describe_scene? +

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

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

describe_scene is provided by the Excalidraw MCP Server MCP server (kakacoding1/mcp_excalidraw). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.

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