List all available MCP tools. Returns: List of all available tools with their name, description, and parameters.
AI agents call list_tools to retrieve information from Splunk without modifying anything — typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
This tool retrieves metadata about available tools without querying, modifying, or executing any Splunk data or operations. It is purely informational and read-only, making it a low-severity Read category tool. The confidence is high because the description clearly indicates it only lists and returns information.
From the tool's definition The tool 'list_tools' returns a list of available MCP tools with their name, description, and parameters. The verb 'list' and the action of returning information about tools indicates data retrieval with no side effects.
Documented attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access list_tools gives an agent:
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway — it sits between your AI agents and Splunk, and nothing reaches the server without passing your rules. This is the rule we recommend for list_tools:
{
"version": "1",
"default": "deny",
"tools": {
"list_tools": {}
}
}list_tools is read-only, so it stays allowed — but everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.
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List all available MCP tools. Returns: List of all available tools with their name, description, and parameters. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Splunk MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the Splunk MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for list_tools: 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 Splunk. Nothing to install.
list_tools is a Read tool with low risk. Read-only tools are generally safe to allow by default.
Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the list_tools 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 list_tools. 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.
list_tools is provided by the Splunk MCP server (livehybrid/splunk-mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
Start from Splunk, add the rest of your stack, and see everything your agents can call. Then put policy on all of it.
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12 Splunk tools catalogued and risk-classified — across an index of 43,000+ MCP servers.