List available tool categories and servers.
AI agents call compass_categories to retrieve information from Tool Compass without modifying anything — typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
This tool performs a read-only operation to enumerate available categories and servers. It has no side effects, makes no modifications, executes no code, and poses minimal risk. The blast radius of misuse is negligible, as an AI agent simply receiving a list of available tools cannot cause harm through this tool alone.
From the tool's definition Tool description states 'List available tool categories and servers' — a direct query operation that retrieves metadata without modifying, executing, or deleting anything.
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
List available tool categories and servers. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Tool Compass MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the Tool Compass MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for compass_categories: 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 Tool Compass. Nothing to install.
compass_categories 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 compass_categories 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 compass_categories. 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.
compass_categories is provided by the Tool Compass MCP server (mcp-tool-shop-org/tool-compass). 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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