Low Risk

list_designs

list_designs

How to control list_designs ↓

What list_designs does on Canva API MCP Server

AI agents call list_designs to retrieve information from Canva API MCP Server without modifying anything — typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.

Low Risk

Why list_designs needs a policy

This tool retrieves or queries design data without side effects. The 'list_' prefix is characteristic of Read operations across the Canva API MCP server. Even though the description is empty, the name and consistency with other list_* siblings on the same server provide high confidence for Read classification.

From the tool's definition Tool name 'list_designs' follows the standard Read pattern (list_*) observed in sibling tools like list_assets, list_brands, list_users. No description provided, but naming convention strongly indicates querying/retrieving design data without modification.

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

How to control list_designs

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

policy.json
{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "list_designs": {}
  }
}

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

  1. Create a free account and register Canva API MCP Server — nothing to install.
  2. Add this policy — paste it, or build it visually.
  3. Point your MCP client (Claude, Cursor, anything) at your gateway URL.
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Related tools and policies

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Questions about list_designs

What does the list_designs tool do? +

list_designs. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Canva API MCP Server MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.

How do I enforce a policy on list_designs? +

Register the Canva API MCP Server MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for list_designs: 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 Canva API MCP Server. Nothing to install.

What risk level is list_designs? +

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

Can I rate-limit list_designs? +

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

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

list_designs is provided by the Canva API MCP Server MCP server (mattcoatsworth/canva-mcp-server). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.

Enforce policy on every Canva API MCP Server tool call.

Start from Canva API MCP Server, add the rest of your stack, and see everything your agents can call. Then put policy on all of it.

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9 Canva API MCP Server tools catalogued and risk-classified — across an index of 43,000+ MCP servers.

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