Low Risk

list_watchers

List users watching/subscribed to the repository.

How to control list_watchers ↓

What list_watchers does on GitHub Repos Manager MCP Server

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

Low Risk

Why list_watchers needs a policy

This tool only retrieves information about users subscribed to a repository. It has no side effects, does not modify data, and does not execute external operations. It falls squarely within the Read category as a data retrieval operation. The severity is low because inadvertent exposure of watcher lists poses minimal risk compared to destructive or financial operations.

From the tool's definition Tool name is 'list_watchers' and description states it 'List users watching/subscribed to the repository' — this is a query operation that retrieves repository metadata without modifying or executing anything.

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

How to control list_watchers

PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway — it sits between your AI agents and GitHub Repos Manager MCP Server, and nothing reaches the server without passing your rules. This is the rule we recommend for list_watchers:

policy.json
{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "list_watchers": {}
  }
}

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

  1. Create a free account and register GitHub Repos Manager MCP Server — nothing to install.
  2. Add this policy — paste it, or build it visually.
  3. Point your MCP client (Claude, Cursor, anything) at your gateway URL.
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Related tools and policies

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Questions about list_watchers

What does the list_watchers tool do? +

List users watching/subscribed to the repository. It is categorised as a Read tool in the GitHub Repos Manager MCP Server MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.

How do I enforce a policy on list_watchers? +

Register the GitHub Repos Manager MCP Server MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for list_watchers: 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 GitHub Repos Manager MCP Server. Nothing to install.

What risk level is list_watchers? +

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

Can I rate-limit list_watchers? +

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

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

list_watchers is provided by the GitHub Repos Manager MCP Server MCP server (kurdin/github-repos-manager-mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.

Enforce policy on every GitHub Repos Manager MCP Server tool call.

Start from GitHub Repos Manager MCP Server, add the rest of your stack, and see everything your agents can call. Then put policy on all of it.

Free to start. No card required.

84 GitHub Repos Manager MCP Server tools catalogued and risk-classified — across an index of 43,000+ MCP servers.

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