stepi · WineDbg MCP Server MCP: Risk & Policy

WHAT IT DOES

What stepi does on WineDbg MCP Server

AI agents invoke stepi to trigger actions in WineDbg MCP Server. What it does depends on the arguments the agent supplies, and its effects often reach beyond the immediate call — builds kicked off, notifications sent, workflows started.

WHY IT NEEDS A POLICY

Why stepi needs a policy

'stepi' (step instruction) causes the debugged process to execute one machine instruction and then pause. This is a debugger control operation that drives execution of an external process. It falls under Execute because it triggers an external operation (running code in the target process) whose effects depend on what instruction is being stepped.

From the tool's definition Step instruction — executes a single CPU instruction in the debugged process, advancing program execution.

Attacks that exploit this kind of access

Recommended rule Ready

Verdict

stepi Rate-limited

stepi stays usable, but rate-capped — a runaway agent can't fire it dozens of times a minute. Everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.

View as policy code

policy.json

{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "stepi": {
      "limits": [
        {
          "counter": "stepi_rate",
          "window": "minute",
          "max": 10,
          "scope": "grant"
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}

RATE-LIMIT THIS TOOL →

Instant setup, no code required.

PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway: every tool call is checked against your rule before it reaches WineDbg MCP Server, so you can run agents against it safely.

FAQ

Questions about stepi

What does the stepi tool do? +

Step instruction. It is categorised as a Execute tool in the WineDbg MCP Server MCP Server, which means it can trigger actions or run processes. Use rate limits and argument validation.

How do I enforce a policy on stepi? +

Register the WineDbg MCP Server MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for stepi: 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 WineDbg MCP Server. Nothing to install.

What risk level is stepi? +

stepi is a Execute tool with high risk. Execute tools should be rate-limited and have argument validation enabled.

Can I rate-limit stepi? +

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

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

stepi is provided by the WineDbg MCP Server MCP server (maci0/mcp-winedbg). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.