Download a file from remote server to local machine through the terminal session.
AI agents call terminal_download_file to retrieve information from Mcp Shellkeeper without modifying anything — typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
File download is fundamentally a read operation—it retrieves data from a remote system without altering or destroying anything. However, the severity is elevated to medium (not low) because: (1) the downloaded file could contain sensitive data that an AI agent shouldn't access, (2) SSH sessions provide access to live systems where inappropriate file access could be a security incident, and (3) the blast radius…
From the tool's definition Tool description states "Download a file from remote server to local machine", indicating data retrieval without modification or deletion.
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
Download a file from remote server to local machine through the terminal session. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Mcp Shellkeeper MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the Mcp Shellkeeper MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for terminal_download_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 Shellkeeper. Nothing to install.
terminal_download_file is a Read tool with low risk. Read-only tools are generally safe to allow by default.
Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the terminal_download_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.
Set action: deny in the PolicyLayer policy for terminal_download_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.
terminal_download_file is provided by the Mcp Shellkeeper MCP server (mcp-shellkeeper). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
Every MCP server has a record like this.
Type a name, get the same breakdown: verified identity, auth posture, risk grade, capabilities, recommended policy.
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