create-category

THE RISK

Medium Risk

Why create-category needs a policy

This tool creates new data in the PI Dashboard system. Creation operations are classified as Write because they modify state reversibly—categories can be subsequently deleted or modified. The severity is medium because misuse could clutter the dashboard or create unwanted organizational structures, but the impact is localized and undoable.

From the tool's definition Tool name 'create-category' and description 'Create a new category' indicate data creation that is reversible (the category can be deleted via the sibling 'delete-category' tool).

Documented attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access create-category gives an agent:

POLICY

How to control create-category

PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway — it sits between your AI agents and PI API MCP Server, and nothing reaches the server without passing your rules. This is the rule we recommend for create-category:

policy.json

{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "create-category": {
      "limits": [
        {
          "counter": "create-category_rate",
          "window": "minute",
          "max": 30,
          "scope": "grant"
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}

create-category stays usable, but capped — an agent stuck in a loop can't make hundreds of changes a minute. Everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.

Create a free account and register PI API MCP Server — nothing to install.
Add this policy — paste it, or build it visually.
Point your MCP client (Claude, Cursor, anything) at your gateway URL.

LIMIT THIS TOOL →

Free to start. No card required.

EXPLORE

Related tools and policies

More PI API MCP Server tools

Destructive delete-category Delete a category Destructive delete-chart Delete a chart Write set-api-url Set the API base URL for all requests Write set-organization Set the organization ID for subsequent requests Write update-category Update an existing category Other authenticate Guide for authenticating with the PI API Other authenticate-with-credentials Authenticate with the PI API using username and password (last resort option) Read check-connection Check if the current API URL and authentication are valid

All 18 PI API MCP Server tools →

Write tools on other servers

M-Team MCP Server download_torrent YouTube MCP Server generate_video_title Android Forensics ADB MCP Server combine_reports 0xarchive web3_signup

Go deeper

The MCP Attack Database → Documented attack patterns against MCP deployments — and the policies that stop them.
Argument validation → Checking tool call arguments against schema and policy before they run.
Scoped token → Per-person credentials that grant a defined subset of servers and tools.
Rate Limiting MCP Tool Calls: A Practical Guide →
MCP Security: Why Prompt Guardrails Aren't Enough →

FAQ

Questions about create-category

What does the create-category tool do? +

Create a new category. It is categorised as a Write tool in the PI API MCP Server MCP Server, which means it can create or modify data. Consider rate limits to prevent runaway writes.

How do I enforce a policy on create-category? +

Register the PI API MCP Server MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for create-category: 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 PI API MCP Server. Nothing to install.

What risk level is create-category? +

create-category is a Write tool with medium risk. Write tools should be rate-limited to prevent accidental bulk modifications.

Can I rate-limit create-category? +

Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the create-category 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 create-category completely? +

Set action: deny in the PolicyLayer policy for create-category. 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 create-category? +

create-category is provided by the PI API MCP Server MCP server (mingzilla/pi-api-mcp-server). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.

Enforce policy on every PI API MCP Server tool call.

Start from PI API MCP Server, add the rest of your stack, and see everything your agents can call. Then put policy on all of it.

CHECK YOUR STACK →