agent_list

THE RISK

Low Risk

Why agent_list needs a policy

This tool performs a read-only operation to enumerate registered agents. It retrieves data from the orchestration system's registry but does not create, modify, delete, or execute any actions. The blast radius of misuse is minimal—an attacker gains visibility into which agents are registered but cannot directly compromise agent functionality, data, or external systems through this tool alone.

From the tool's definition Tool name 'agent_list' and description 'List all registered agents in the orchestration system' indicate a query operation that retrieves information without modification or side effects.

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

POLICY

How to control agent_list

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

policy.json

{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "agent_list": {}
  }
}

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

Create a free account and register Agent Orchestration — nothing to install.
Add this policy — paste it, or build it visually.
Point your MCP client (Claude, Cursor, anything) at your gateway URL.

CAP THIS TOOL →

Free to start. No card required.

EXPLORE

Related tools and policies

More Agent Orchestration tools

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Read tools on other servers

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Go deeper

The MCP Attack Database → Documented attack patterns against MCP deployments — and the policies that stop them.
Data exfiltration → How read access becomes an exfiltration channel when chained with untrusted content.
MCP token cost → What connecting this server costs in context-window tokens on every request.
Rate Limiting MCP Tool Calls: A Practical Guide →
MCP Security: Why Prompt Guardrails Aren't Enough →

FAQ

Questions about agent_list

What does the agent_list tool do? +

List all registered agents in the orchestration system. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Agent Orchestration MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.

How do I enforce a policy on agent_list? +

Register the Agent Orchestration MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for agent_list: 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 Agent Orchestration. Nothing to install.

What risk level is agent_list? +

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

Can I rate-limit agent_list? +

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

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

agent_list is provided by the Agent Orchestration MCP server (madebyaris/agent-orchestration). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.

Enforce policy on every Agent Orchestration tool call.

Start from Agent Orchestration, add the rest of your stack, and see everything your agents can call. Then put policy on all of it.

CHECK YOUR STACK →