assign_work · Claude Team MCP: Risk & Policy

WHAT IT DOES

What assign_work does on Claude Team MCP

AI agents use assign_work to create or update resources in Claude Team MCP — usually the action step of a workflow, after the agent has gathered context. Every call changes real data in your Claude Team MCP environment.

WHY IT NEEDS A POLICY

Why assign_work needs a policy

The tool appears to modify work assignments within a multi-agent coordination system. Without a description, classification relies on naming patterns and context. 'Assign' implies creating or updating task state (Write category), affecting which agent works on what.

From the tool's definition Tool name 'assign_work' combined with sibling tools like 'assign_fix', 'auto_assign', and 'add_task' suggests modification of task assignments or work allocation state.

Attacks that exploit this kind of access

Recommended rule Ready

Verdict

assign_work Rate-limited

assign_work stays usable, but capped — an agent stuck in a loop can't make hundreds of changes a minute. Everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.

View as policy code

policy.json

{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "assign_work": {
      "limits": [
        {
          "counter": "assign_work_rate",
          "window": "minute",
          "max": 30,
          "scope": "grant"
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}

LIMIT THIS TOOL →

Instant setup, no code required.

PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway: every tool call is checked against your rule before it reaches Claude Team MCP, so you can run agents against it safely.

FAQ

Questions about assign_work

What does the assign_work tool do? +

assign_work. It is categorised as a Write tool in the Claude Team MCP MCP Server, which means it can create or modify data. Consider rate limits to prevent runaway writes.

How do I enforce a policy on assign_work? +

Register the Claude Team MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for assign_work: 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 Claude Team MCP. Nothing to install.

What risk level is assign_work? +

assign_work is a Write tool with medium risk. Write tools should be rate-limited to prevent accidental bulk modifications.

Can I rate-limit assign_work? +

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

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

assign_work is provided by the Claude Team MCP server (lakshan12367/mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.