AI agents call prior_attempts to retrieve information from Selvedge without modifying anything — typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
The tool name and sibling tools (blame, history, changeset, search) indicate this is a query function to retrieve previous attempts or entries from the change log. No description of write, destructive, execute, or financial operations is evident. Classified as Read with medium-low confidence due to missing explicit documentation.
From the tool's definition Tool name 'prior_attempts' suggests retrieval of historical data. Server context describes query operations (diff, blame, history, changeset, search) as read-only change tracking. Description is empty, lowering confidence slightly.
Documented attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access prior_attempts gives an agent:
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway — it sits between your AI agents and Selvedge, and nothing reaches the server without passing your rules. This is the rule we recommend for prior_attempts:
{
"version": "1",
"default": "deny",
"tools": {
"prior_attempts": {}
}
}prior_attempts is read-only, so it stays allowed — but everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.
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prior_attempts. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Selvedge MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the Selvedge MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for prior_attempts: 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 Selvedge. Nothing to install.
prior_attempts is a Read tool with low risk. Read-only tools are generally safe to allow by default.
Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the prior_attempts 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 prior_attempts. 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.
prior_attempts is provided by the Selvedge MCP server (masondelan/selvedge). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
Start from Selvedge, add the rest of your stack, and see everything your agents can call. Then put policy on all of it.
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7 Selvedge tools catalogued and risk-classified — across an index of 43,000+ MCP servers.