spawn_agent · Claude Team MCP: Risk & Policy

WHAT IT DOES

What spawn_agent does on Claude Team MCP

AI agents invoke spawn_agent to trigger actions in Claude Team MCP. What it does depends on the arguments the agent supplies, and its effects often reach beyond the immediate call — builds kicked off, notifications sent, workflows started.

WHY IT NEEDS A POLICY

Why spawn_agent needs a policy

Spawning an agent typically involves executing a new process or task runner. In the context of a multi-agent coding coordination server, this likely starts a new AI coding agent, which constitutes an external operation with potentially significant side effects. The empty description lowers confidence, but the name strongly implies execution semantics.

From the tool's definition Tool name 'spawn_agent' implies creating and running a new AI agent process; description is empty and uninformative.

Attacks that exploit this kind of access

Recommended rule Ready

Verdict

spawn_agent Rate-limited

spawn_agent stays usable, but rate-capped — a runaway agent can't fire it dozens of times a minute. Everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.

View as policy code

policy.json

{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "spawn_agent": {
      "limits": [
        {
          "counter": "spawn_agent_rate",
          "window": "minute",
          "max": 10,
          "scope": "grant"
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}

RATE-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 spawn_agent

What does the spawn_agent tool do? +

spawn_agent. It is categorised as a Execute tool in the Claude Team MCP MCP Server, which means it can trigger actions or run processes. Use rate limits and argument validation.

How do I enforce a policy on spawn_agent? +

Register the Claude Team MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for spawn_agent: 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 spawn_agent? +

spawn_agent is a Execute tool with high risk. Execute tools should be rate-limited and have argument validation enabled.

Can I rate-limit spawn_agent? +

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

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

spawn_agent 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.