AI agents call delete_element to permanently remove resources in Excalidraw — typically in cleanup and lifecycle workflows. It does its job in a single call, and there is no undo.
Deletion is irreversible; once an element is removed from a diagram, it cannot be automatically recovered without undo functionality being invoked externally. While the blast radius is limited to diagram data (not system-critical), the destructive nature of the operation and the potential for an AI agent to accidentally or maliciously delete important visual content warrants a 'Destructive' classification and 'high'…
From the tool's definition Tool name is 'delete_element' with no description provided. The name explicitly indicates deletion/removal of elements from an Excalidraw canvas.
Documented attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access delete_element gives an agent:
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway — it sits between your AI agents and Excalidraw, and nothing reaches the server without passing your rules. This is the rule we recommend for delete_element:
{
"version": "1",
"default": "deny",
"hide": [
"delete_element"
]
}delete_element disappears from the agent's tool list entirely, and any attempt to call it is denied. The rest of the server keeps working.
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delete_element. It is categorised as a Destructive tool in the Excalidraw MCP Server, which means it can permanently delete or destroy data. Block by default and require explicit approval.
Register the Excalidraw MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for delete_element: 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 Excalidraw. Nothing to install.
delete_element is a Destructive tool with critical risk. Critical-risk tools should be blocked by default and only enabled with explicit human approval.
Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the delete_element 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.
Set action: deny in the PolicyLayer policy for delete_element. 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.
delete_element is provided by the Excalidraw MCP server (lesleslie/excalidraw-mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
Start from Excalidraw, add the rest of your stack, and see everything your agents can call. Then put policy on all of it.
Free to start. No card required.
17 Excalidraw tools catalogued and risk-classified — across an index of 43,000+ MCP servers.