scout_forward · Scout MCP: Risk & Policy

WHAT IT DOES

What scout_forward does on Scout

AI agents invoke scout_forward to trigger actions in Scout. 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 scout_forward needs a policy

Navigating forward in browser history triggers browser actions that change the current page state and can cause external operations (form submissions, page loads, etc.) depending on what page is being navigated to. This is a browser action with side effects beyond simple data retrieval.

From the tool's definition Go forward in browser history

Attacks that exploit this kind of access

Recommended rule Ready

Verdict

scout_forward Rate-limited

scout_forward 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": {
    "scout_forward": {
      "limits": [
        {
          "counter": "scout_forward_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 Scout, so you can run agents against it safely.

FAQ

Questions about scout_forward

What does the scout_forward tool do? +

Go forward in browser history. It is categorised as a Execute tool in the Scout MCP Server, which means it can trigger actions or run processes. Use rate limits and argument validation.

How do I enforce a policy on scout_forward? +

Register the Scout MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for scout_forward: 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 Scout. Nothing to install.

What risk level is scout_forward? +

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

Can I rate-limit scout_forward? +

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

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

scout_forward is provided by the Scout MCP server (lautrek/scout). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.