start-context

Start a new context for a task. Reads <context-name>-context.yaml file from the assets directory. Combines prompts from all referenced files (personas, rules, mcps, actions) to provide context for AI development.

Server Context Compose lazylagom/context-compose-mcp
Category Read
Risk class Low
Parameters 00 required

What start-context does on Context Compose

AI agents call start-context to retrieve information from Context Compose without modifying anything — typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.

Why start-context needs a policy

The tool reads a YAML configuration file and assembles/combines content from referenced files to provide context. It performs file reads with no described side effects, data modification, or execution of commands. The combination of prompts is a data-retrieval and aggregation operation.

From the tool's definition Reads <context-name>-context.yaml file from the assets directory. Combines prompts from all referenced files (personas, rules, mcps, actions) to provide context

Questions about start-context

What does the start-context tool do? +

Start a new context for a task. Reads <context-name>-context.yaml file from the assets directory. Combines prompts from all referenced files (personas, rules, mcps, actions) to provide context for AI development. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Context Compose MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.

How do I enforce a policy on start-context? +

Register the Context Compose MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for start-context: 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 Context Compose. Nothing to install.

What risk level is start-context? +

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

Can I rate-limit start-context? +

Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the start-context 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 start-context completely? +

Set action: deny in the PolicyLayer policy for start-context. 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 start-context? +

start-context is provided by the Context Compose MCP server (lazylagom/context-compose-mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.

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