AI agents use place_option_market_order to commit financial operations through Alpaca — usually the final step of a payment, billing, or trading workflow. A call moves real money.
Despite the empty description, the tool name unambiguously indicates placing a market order for options contracts, which is a financial transaction committing real money. Options market orders execute immediately at current market prices and can involve significant financial exposure. The server context confirms this is live trading via Alpaca's Trading API, making misuse critically severe.
From the tool's definition Tool name 'place_option_market_order' on a server described as enabling 'natural language trading operations for stocks, options, crypto, and portfolio management via Alpaca's Trading API'
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
place_option_market_order. It is categorised as a Financial tool in the Alpaca MCP Server, which means it involves financial transactions. Block by default and require explicit approval.
Register the Alpaca MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for place_option_market_order: 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 Alpaca. Nothing to install.
place_option_market_order is a Financial tool with critical risk. Critical-risk tools should be blocked by default and only enabled with explicit human approval.
Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the place_option_market_order 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 place_option_market_order. 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.
place_option_market_order is provided by the Alpaca MCP server (mfoster5303-1/alpaca-mcp-server). 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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