broadcast · Agent Comms MCP: Risk & Policy

WHAT IT DOES

What broadcast does on Agent Comms

AI agents use broadcast to create or update resources in Agent Comms — usually the action step of a workflow, after the agent has gathered context. Every call changes real data in your Agent Comms environment.

WHY IT NEEDS A POLICY

Why broadcast needs a policy

This tool creates a new message in a channel, which is a reversible write operation. It can affect all channel members, giving it medium blast radius if misused (e.g., spamming or sending misleading messages to multiple agents), but it does not execute code, delete data, or involve financial transactions.

From the tool's definition Post a message to a channel. All members receive the message.

Attacks that exploit this kind of access

Recommended rule Ready

Verdict

broadcast Rate-limited

broadcast 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.

View as policy code

policy.json

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

LIMIT THIS TOOL →

Instant setup, no code required.

PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway: every tool call is checked against your rule before it reaches Agent Comms, so you can run agents against it safely.

FAQ

Questions about broadcast

What does the broadcast tool do? +

Post a message to a channel. All members receive the message. Use mentions to flag specific agents who should pay attention. It is categorised as a Write tool in the Agent Comms MCP Server, which means it can create or modify data. Consider rate limits to prevent runaway writes.

How do I enforce a policy on broadcast? +

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

What risk level is broadcast? +

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

Can I rate-limit broadcast? +

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

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

broadcast is provided by the Agent Comms MCP server (mavericky007/agent-comms-mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.