Create a new color swatch
AI agents use create_color_swatch to create or update resources in Indesign — usually the action step of a workflow, after the agent has gathered context. Every call changes real data in your Indesign environment.
Creating a color swatch modifies the document's color library by adding a new swatch, but this is a reversible action—swatches can be edited, deleted, or replaced. It does not execute arbitrary code, delete data irreversibly, move money, or retrieve sensitive information. This fits squarely in the Write category as it creates/modifies data reversibly within the design document.
From the tool's definition Tool name 'create_color_swatch' and description 'Create a new color swatch' indicate the creation of a new design element (color definition) within an InDesign document. This is a reversible creation operation.
Documented attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access create_color_swatch gives an agent:
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway — it sits between your AI agents and Indesign, and nothing reaches the server without passing your rules. This is the rule we recommend for create_color_swatch:
{
"version": "1",
"default": "deny",
"tools": {
"create_color_swatch": {
"limits": [
{
"counter": "create_color_swatch_rate",
"window": "minute",
"max": 30,
"scope": "grant"
}
]
}
}
}create_color_swatch stays usable, but capped — an agent stuck in a loop can't make hundreds of changes a minute. Everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.
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Create a new color swatch. It is categorised as a Write tool in the Indesign MCP Server, which means it can create or modify data. Consider rate limits to prevent runaway writes.
Register the Indesign MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for create_color_swatch: 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 Indesign. Nothing to install.
create_color_swatch is a Write tool with medium risk. Write tools should be rate-limited to prevent accidental bulk modifications.
Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the create_color_swatch 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 create_color_swatch. 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.
create_color_swatch is provided by the Indesign MCP server (lucdesign/indesign-mcp-server). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
Start from Indesign, add the rest of your stack, and see everything your agents can call. Then put policy on all of it.
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36 Indesign tools catalogued and risk-classified — across an index of 43,000+ MCP servers.