wol_send · Homelab MCP: Risk & Policy

WHAT IT DOES

What wol_send does on Homelab

AI agents invoke wol_send to trigger actions in Homelab. What it does depends on the arguments the agent supplies, and its effects often reach beyond the immediate call — builds kicked off, notifications sent, workflows started.

WHY IT NEEDS A POLICY

Why wol_send needs a policy

This tool triggers an external network operation (sending a WoL magic packet) that causes a physical machine to power on. It executes an action with real-world side effects (powering on hardware) rather than simply reading or writing data. It is not destructive or financial, but it does execute an operation that affects external systems depending on the MAC address argument provided.

From the tool's definition Send a Wake-on-LAN magic packet to wake a machine by its MAC address

Attacks that exploit this kind of access

Recommended rule Ready

Verdict

wol_send Rate-limited

wol_send stays usable, but rate-capped — a runaway agent can't fire it dozens of times a minute. Everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.

View as policy code

policy.json

{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "wol_send": {
      "limits": [
        {
          "counter": "wol_send_rate",
          "window": "minute",
          "max": 10,
          "scope": "grant"
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}

RATE-LIMIT THIS TOOL →

Instant setup, no code required.

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

FAQ

Questions about wol_send

What does the wol_send tool do? +

Send a Wake-on-LAN magic packet to wake a machine by its MAC address. Requires wakeonlan or etherwake on the devbox. It is categorised as a Execute tool in the Homelab MCP Server, which means it can trigger actions or run processes. Use rate limits and argument validation.

How do I enforce a policy on wol_send? +

Register the Homelab MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for wol_send: 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 Homelab. Nothing to install.

What risk level is wol_send? +

wol_send is a Execute tool with high risk. Execute tools should be rate-limited and have argument validation enabled.

Can I rate-limit wol_send? +

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

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

wol_send is provided by the Homelab MCP server (nainounen/homelab-mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.