restart_scan · Greenbone MCP: Risk & Policy

WHAT IT DOES

What restart_scan does on GreenboneMCP

AI agents invoke restart_scan to trigger actions in GreenboneMCP. 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 restart_scan needs a policy

Restarting a scan is an executable action that triggers state changes in an external vulnerability scanning system (Greenbone/OpenVAS). While not destructive (the scan can be stopped/restarted again) and not financial, it executes external operations whose effects depend on which scan is targeted.

From the tool's definition Tool name 'restart_scan' indicates restarting/restarting a vulnerability scan operation. Context from sibling tools (start_scan, stop_task, start_task) confirms this server triggers external security scanning operations.

Attacks that exploit this kind of access

Recommended rule Ready

Verdict

restart_scan Rate-limited

restart_scan 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": {
    "restart_scan": {
      "limits": [
        {
          "counter": "restart_scan_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 GreenboneMCP, so you can run agents against it safely.

FAQ

Questions about restart_scan

What does the restart_scan tool do? +

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

How do I enforce a policy on restart_scan? +

Register the Greenbone MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for restart_scan: 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 GreenboneMCP. Nothing to install.

What risk level is restart_scan? +

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

Can I rate-limit restart_scan? +

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

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

restart_scan is provided by the Greenbone MCP server (matteocolazilli/greenbonemcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.