Low Risk

get_screenshot

Capture a screenshot of the current view and display it in chat.

How to control get_screenshot ↓

What get_screenshot does on ParaView-MCP

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

Low Risk

Why get_screenshot needs a policy

This tool only captures and retrieves the current state of the ParaView visualization window. It has no side effects, does not modify data, execute code, delete anything, or commit financial obligations. It is a passive read operation that returns visual information to the user for inspection. The blast radius is minimal—misuse would only result in viewing sensitive visualization content, not altering it.

From the tool's definition Tool name 'get_screenshot' and description 'Capture a screenshot of the current view and display it in chat' indicate retrieval of visual data with no modification or execution of external operations.

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

How to control get_screenshot

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

policy.json
{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "get_screenshot": {}
  }
}

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

  1. Create a free account and register ParaView-MCP — nothing to install.
  2. Add this policy — paste it, or build it visually.
  3. Point your MCP client (Claude, Cursor, anything) at your gateway URL.
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Related tools and policies

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Questions about get_screenshot

What does the get_screenshot tool do? +

Capture a screenshot of the current view and display it in chat. It is categorised as a Read tool in the ParaView-MCP MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.

How do I enforce a policy on get_screenshot? +

Register the ParaView- MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for get_screenshot: 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 ParaView-MCP. Nothing to install.

What risk level is get_screenshot? +

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

Can I rate-limit get_screenshot? +

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

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

get_screenshot is provided by the ParaView- MCP server (llnl/paraview_mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.

Enforce policy on every ParaView-MCP tool call.

Start from ParaView-MCP, 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.

23 ParaView-MCP tools catalogued and risk-classified — across an index of 43,000+ MCP servers.

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