Low Risk

list_commands

List all available commands in this ParaView MCP server.

How to control list_commands ↓

What list_commands does on ParaView-MCP

AI agents call list_commands 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 list_commands needs a policy

This tool retrieves metadata about available commands without creating, modifying, deleting, or executing any operations on data or visualizations. It is purely informational, similar to a help or introspection function. The blast radius of misuse is minimal—an AI agent listing commands cannot cause harm to visualizations, data, or external systems.

From the tool's definition Tool name is 'list_commands' and description states it 'List all available commands in this ParaView MCP server.' This is a query/information retrieval operation with no side effects.

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

How to control list_commands

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 list_commands:

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

list_commands 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 list_commands

What does the list_commands tool do? +

List all available commands in this ParaView MCP server. 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 list_commands? +

Register the ParaView- MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for list_commands: 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 list_commands? +

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

Can I rate-limit list_commands? +

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

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

list_commands 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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