AI agents call get_active_items to retrieve information from Kanban without modifying anything — typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
The tool name 'get_active_items' contains the verb 'get', a standard indicator of data retrieval with no side effects. Despite the empty description, the naming convention and context of a kanban board system where items have status workflows strongly suggest this queries and returns currently active items without modification.
From the tool's definition Tool name 'get_active_items' indicates retrieval of items with 'active' status. The kanban-mcp server description confirms it tracks issues, features, todos, and diary entries.
Documented attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access get_active_items gives an agent:
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway — it sits between your AI agents and Kanban, and nothing reaches the server without passing your rules. This is the rule we recommend for get_active_items:
{
"version": "1",
"default": "deny",
"tools": {
"get_active_items": {}
}
}get_active_items is read-only, so it stays allowed — but everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.
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get_active_items. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Kanban MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the Kanban MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for get_active_items: 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 Kanban. Nothing to install.
get_active_items 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 get_active_items 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 get_active_items. 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.
get_active_items is provided by the Kanban MCP server (multidimensionalcats/kanban-mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
Start from Kanban, add the rest of your stack, and see everything your agents can call. Then put policy on all of it.
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45 Kanban tools catalogued and risk-classified — across an index of 43,000+ MCP servers.