task_claim

THE RISK

Medium Risk

Why task_claim needs a policy

This tool modifies the state of a task by updating its status field to 'in_progress'. This is a reversible write operation — it changes a record but does not delete or destroy anything, nor does it execute code or move money. Misuse could cause task coordination conflicts (e.g., multiple agents claiming the same task or blocking legitimate work), hence medium severity.

From the tool's definition Claim a task to work on it. Sets status to in_progress.

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

POLICY

How to control task_claim

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 task_claim:

policy.json

{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "task_claim": {
      "limits": [
        {
          "counter": "task_claim_rate",
          "window": "minute",
          "max": 30,
          "scope": "grant"
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}

task_claim 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.

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.

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EXPLORE

Related tools and policies

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Write 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.
Argument validation → Checking tool call arguments against schema and policy before they run.
Scoped token → Per-person credentials that grant a defined subset of servers and tools.
Rate Limiting MCP Tool Calls: A Practical Guide →
MCP Security: Why Prompt Guardrails Aren't Enough →

FAQ

Questions about task_claim

What does the task_claim tool do? +

Claim a task to work on it. Sets status to in_progress. Requires research to be complete for non-trivial tasks. It is categorised as a Write tool in the Agent Orchestration MCP Server, which means it can create or modify data. Consider rate limits to prevent runaway writes.

How do I enforce a policy on task_claim? +

Register the Agent Orchestration MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for task_claim: 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 task_claim? +

task_claim is a Write tool with medium risk. Write tools should be rate-limited to prevent accidental bulk modifications.

Can I rate-limit task_claim? +

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

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

task_claim 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 →