add_skills

THE RISK

Medium Risk

Why add_skills needs a policy

This tool creates or modifies user profile data (skills) without side effects beyond the profile itself. It is not destructive (reversible), does not execute arbitrary code, does not move money, and does not trigger irreversible external operations. It is clearly a Write operation.

From the tool's definition Tool name 'add_skills' and description 'Add one or more skills to your profile' indicate creation/modification of profile data.

Documented attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access add_skills gives an agent:

POLICY

How to control add_skills

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

policy.json

{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "add_skills": {
      "limits": [
        {
          "counter": "add_skills_rate",
          "window": "minute",
          "max": 30,
          "scope": "grant"
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}

add_skills 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 Shortlist 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 Shortlist MCP Server tools

Destructive clear_queue Clear all jobs from your application queue. Destructive delete_education Delete an education entry by ID. Get the ID from get_profile. Destructive delete_resume Delete a resume by ID. Get the ID from list_resumes. Destructive delete_work_experience Delete a work experience or project by ID. Get the ID from get_profile. Destructive remove_from_queue Remove a specific job from your application queue by its ID. Destructive remove_languages Remove one or more languages from your profile by name. Destructive remove_skills Remove one or more skills from your profile by name. Execute start_applying Start the bot to submit all approved job applications. The bot fills out forms and submits

All 32 Shortlist MCP Server tools →

Write tools on other servers

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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 add_skills

What does the add_skills tool do? +

Add one or more skills to your profile. Provide an array of skill objects with name and optional years of experience. It is categorised as a Write tool in the Shortlist 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 add_skills? +

Register the Shortlist MCP Server MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for add_skills: 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 Shortlist MCP Server. Nothing to install.

What risk level is add_skills? +

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

Can I rate-limit add_skills? +

Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the add_skills 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 add_skills completely? +

Set action: deny in the PolicyLayer policy for add_skills. 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 add_skills? +

add_skills is provided by the Shortlist MCP Server MCP server (mls-tech-inc/shortlistjobs-mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.

Enforce policy on every Shortlist MCP Server tool call.

Start from Shortlist 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 →