claim_task · Agent Bus MCP: Risk & Policy

WHAT IT DOES

What claim_task does on Agent Bus

AI agents use claim_task to create or update resources in Agent Bus — usually the action step of a workflow, after the agent has gathered context. Every call changes real data in your Agent Bus environment.

WHY IT NEEDS A POLICY

Why claim_task needs a policy

Claiming a task is a Write operation — it modifies the state of a task (marking it as claimed/owned by an agent) in a reversible way. The atomic nature suggests it sets ownership state on the message bus.

From the tool's definition Tool name 'claim_task' suggests atomically claiming a task; description is truncated and uninformative beyond 'Atomically claim an'

Attacks that exploit this kind of access

Recommended rule Ready

Verdict

claim_task Rate-limited

claim_task 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.

View as policy code

policy.json

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

LIMIT THIS TOOL →

Instant setup, no code required.

PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway: every tool call is checked against your rule before it reaches Agent Bus, so you can run agents against it safely.

FAQ

Questions about claim_task

What does the claim_task tool do? +

Atomically claim an. It is categorised as a Write tool in the Agent Bus MCP Server, which means it can create or modify data. Consider rate limits to prevent runaway writes.

How do I enforce a policy on claim_task? +

Register the Agent Bus MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for claim_task: 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 Agent Bus. Nothing to install.

What risk level is claim_task? +

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

Can I rate-limit claim_task? +

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

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

claim_task is provided by the Agent Bus MCP server (mustaphasteph/agent-bus). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.