AI agents call group_list to retrieve information from Data Gov MCP Server without modifying anything — typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
This tool retrieves and displays groups available on Data.gov without modifying, executing, or deleting any data. It is a passive query operation with no blast radius if misused by an AI agent—at worst, it returns public government dataset metadata.
From the tool's definition Tool name 'group_list' and description 'List groups on Data.gov' indicate a retrieval operation with no side effects. The verb 'list' is characteristic of read operations that query and return existing data.
Documented attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access group_list gives an agent:
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway — it sits between your AI agents and Data Gov MCP Server, and nothing reaches the server without passing your rules. This is the rule we recommend for group_list:
{
"version": "1",
"default": "deny",
"tools": {
"group_list": {}
}
}group_list is read-only, so it stays allowed — but everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.
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List groups on Data.gov. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Data Gov MCP Server MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the Data Gov MCP Server MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for group_list: 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 Data Gov MCP Server. Nothing to install.
group_list 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 group_list 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 group_list. 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.
group_list is provided by the Data Gov MCP Server MCP server (melaodoidao/datagov-mcp-server). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
Start from Data Gov MCP Server, add the rest of your stack, and see everything your agents can call. Then put policy on all of it.
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4 Data Gov MCP Server tools catalogued and risk-classified — across an index of 43,000+ MCP servers.