list_projects

THE RISK

Low Risk

Why list_projects needs a policy

This tool retrieves information about existing KiCad projects without making any changes to them. It is a passive discovery operation that lists available projects, which is characteristic of Read operations. The blast radius is low as it only exposes project names/locations without enabling modifications or destructive actions.

From the tool's definition Tool name 'list_projects' and description 'Find and list all KiCad projects on this system' indicate a query/retrieval operation with no data modification, creation, deletion, or external execution.

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

POLICY

How to control list_projects

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

policy.json

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

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

Create a free account and register KiCad MCP Server — nothing to install.
Add this policy — paste it, or build it visually.
Point your MCP client (Claude, Cursor, anything) at your gateway URL.

CAP THIS TOOL →

Free to start. No card required.

EXPLORE

Related tools and policies

More KiCad MCP Server tools

Execute run_drc_check Run a Design Rule Check on a KiCad PCB file. Args: project_pa Execute generate_pcb_thumbnail Generate a thumbnail image of a KiCad PCB layout using kicad-cli. Args: Execute generate_project_thumbnail Generate a thumbnail of a KiCad project's PCB layout (Alias for generate_pcb_thumbnail). Execute open_project Open a KiCad project in KiCad. Write export_bom_csv Export a Bill of Materials for a KiCad project. This tool attempts to gen Read analyze_bom Analyze a KiCad project's Bill of Materials. This tool will look for BOM Read analyze_project_circuit_patterns Identify circuit patterns in a KiCad project's schematic. Args: Read analyze_schematic_connections Analyze connections in a KiCad schematic. This tool provides detailed ana

All 16 KiCad MCP Server tools →

Read tools on other servers

M-Team MCP Server get_torrent_detail YouTube MCP Server search_channel Android Forensics ADB MCP Server parse_browser_history 0xarchive web3_challenge

Go deeper

The MCP Attack Database → Documented attack patterns against MCP deployments — and the policies that stop them.
Data exfiltration → How read access becomes an exfiltration channel when chained with untrusted content.
MCP token cost → What connecting this server costs in context-window tokens on every request.
Rate Limiting MCP Tool Calls: A Practical Guide →
MCP Security: Why Prompt Guardrails Aren't Enough →

FAQ

Questions about list_projects

What does the list_projects tool do? +

Find and list all KiCad projects on this system. It is categorised as a Read tool in the KiCad MCP Server MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.

How do I enforce a policy on list_projects? +

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

What risk level is list_projects? +

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

Can I rate-limit list_projects? +

Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the list_projects 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_projects completely? +

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

list_projects is provided by the KiCad MCP Server MCP server (lamaalrajih/kicad-mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.

Enforce policy on every KiCad MCP Server tool call.

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

CHECK YOUR STACK →