tail_file

Tail a remote text file.

SERVERMcp Control Plane SOURCEalbertik322-sudo/mcp-control-plane

Low RISK CLASS

Category Read

Parameters 00 required

Recommended Allowedsee the rule below

Registry record Grade F, identity unverified Pull the record →

This record as markdown: /tools/mcp-control-plane/tail-file.md

WHAT IT DOES

What tail_file does on Mcp Control Plane

AI agents call tail_file to retrieve information from Mcp Control Plane without modifying anything. It is typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.

RISK

Why tail_file is rated Low

The tool retrieves and displays file content (a tail operation shows the end of a file). This is a read-only operation with no side effects—it does not modify, delete, execute, or move data. The narrow scope of tailing a remote file and the lack of any write or destructive capability places this squarely in the Read category with low severity.

From the tool's definition Tool name 'tail_file' and description 'Tail a remote text file' indicate reading/querying file content with no modification capability.

Attacks that exploit this kind of access

RECOMMENDED RULE

The rule that runs tail_file safely

PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway: it sits between your AI agents and Mcp Control Plane, and checks every tool call against a rule you set before the call runs. Nothing changes on the server itself. For tail_file, this is the rule to start with:

tail_file Allowed

tail_file is read-only, so it stays allowed. Everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.

View as policy code

policy.json

{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "tail_file": {}
  }
}

ALLOW ONLY THIS TOOL → Instant setup, no code required.

The button opens the PolicyLayer dashboard: create your workspace, connect Mcp Control Plane, apply this rule, and every tail_file call is checked against it from then on.

FAQ

Questions about tail_file

What does the tail_file tool do? +

Tail a remote text file. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Mcp Control Plane MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.

How do I enforce a policy on tail_file? +

Register the Mcp Control Plane MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for tail_file: 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 Mcp Control Plane. Nothing to install.

What risk level is tail_file? +

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

Can I rate-limit tail_file? +

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

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

tail_file is provided by the Mcp Control Plane MCP server (albertik322-sudo/mcp-control-plane). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.

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