MCP Tool Reference Low Risk

explain

Returns execution statistics for the winning query plan

Part of the MongoDB MCP server. Enforce policies on this tool with Intercept, the open-source MCP proxy.

mongodb-js/mongodb-mcp-server Other

WHEN AI AGENTS USE THIS TOOL

AI agents call explain to perform operations in MongoDB. While the risk category is not fully classified, applying a rate limit gives you visibility into how often the tool is called and prevents unexpected bursts of activity from autonomous agents.

WHY ENFORCE A POLICY ON EXPLAIN

Applying a policy to explain gives you an audit trail of every call an AI agent makes. Even for low-risk tools, visibility into agent behaviour helps you debug issues, optimise workflows, and maintain compliance with your organisation's security requirements.

RECOMMENDED POLICY

Apply a rate limit to control usage and monitor for unexpected behaviour.

mongodb.yaml 
tools:
  explain:
    rules:
      - action: allow
        rate_limit:
          max: 60
          window: 60

See the full MongoDB policy for all 36 tools.

DETAILS

Tool Name

explain

Category

Other

MCP Server

MongoDB MCP Server

Risk Level

Low

MORE MONGODB TOOLS

aggregate Other
Run an aggregation against a MongoDB collection
atlas-connect-cluster Other
Connect to a MongoDB Atlas cluster
atlas-inspect-access-list Other
Inspect IP/CIDR ranges with access to Atlas
atlas-inspect-cluster Other
Inspect metadata of a MongoDB Atlas cluster
collection-indexes Other
Describe the indexes for a collection
collection-schema Other
Describe the schema for a collection
collection-storage-size Other
Gets the size of the collection
connect Other
Connect to a MongoDB instance

View all 36 tools →

SIMILAR OTHER TOOLS ON OTHER SERVERS

analytics Algolia
Access Algolia analytics data
monitoring Algolia
Monitor Algolia service status
recommend Algolia
Access Algolia recommendation features
abtesting Algolia
Manage A/B tests
collections Algolia
Manage query suggestions collections
usage Algolia
Access Algolia usage data

RELATED READING

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What does the explain tool do?

Returns execution statistics for the winning query plan. It is categorised as a Other tool in the MongoDB MCP Server, which means it performs auxiliary operations.

How do I enforce a policy on explain?

Add a rule in your Intercept YAML policy under the tools section for explain. You can allow, deny, rate-limit, or validate arguments. Then run Intercept as a proxy in front of the MongoDB MCP server.

What risk level is explain?

explain is a Other tool with low risk. Read-only tools are generally safe to allow by default.

Can I rate-limit explain?

Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the explain rule in your Intercept 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 explain completely?

Set action: deny in the Intercept policy for explain. 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 explain?

explain is provided by the MongoDB MCP server (mongodb-js/mongodb-mcp-server). Intercept sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.

ENFORCE POLICIES ON MONGODB

Open source. One binary. Zero dependencies.

VIEW ON GITHUB Full MongoDB policy →