robot_thinking · Reachy Claude MCP: Risk & Policy

WHAT IT DOES

What robot_thinking does on Reachy Claude MCP

AI agents invoke robot_thinking to trigger actions in Reachy Claude MCP. 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 robot_thinking needs a policy

This tool triggers an external operation on a physical robot or simulation — playing an animation. It executes an action on a real-world device rather than simply reading or writing data. The blast radius is low since it only displays a non-destructive visual animation, but it does cause external physical/simulated effects depending on the call.

From the tool's definition Show a thinking/processing animation

Attacks that exploit this kind of access

Recommended rule Ready

Verdict

robot_thinking Rate-limited

robot_thinking 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": {
    "robot_thinking": {
      "limits": [
        {
          "counter": "robot_thinking_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 Reachy Claude MCP, so you can run agents against it safely.

FAQ

Questions about robot_thinking

What does the robot_thinking tool do? +

Show a thinking/processing animation. It is categorised as a Execute tool in the Reachy Claude MCP MCP Server, which means it can trigger actions or run processes. Use rate limits and argument validation.

How do I enforce a policy on robot_thinking? +

Register the Reachy Claude MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for robot_thinking: 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 Reachy Claude MCP. Nothing to install.

What risk level is robot_thinking? +

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

Can I rate-limit robot_thinking? +

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

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

robot_thinking is provided by the Reachy Claude MCP server (mchardysam/reachy-claude-mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.