List the contents of a directory on the HPC cluster (ls -lh).
AI agents call list_dir to retrieve information from Tacc Mcp Bio without modifying anything — typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
This tool performs a simple directory listing analogous to 'ls -lh' on Unix systems. It retrieves and displays filesystem metadata (file names, permissions, sizes, timestamps) without any side effects. No data is created, modified, deleted, or executed. The blast radius of misuse is minimal—an agent could only enumerate filesystem structure, which is informational only.
From the tool's definition Tool description states 'List the contents of a directory on the HPC cluster (ls -lh)' — a read-only directory listing operation with no modification, deletion, or execution capabilities.
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
List the contents of a directory on the HPC cluster (ls -lh). It is categorised as a Read tool in the Tacc Mcp Bio MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the Tacc Mcp Bio MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for list_dir: 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 Tacc Mcp Bio. Nothing to install.
list_dir 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 list_dir 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 list_dir. 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.
list_dir is provided by the Tacc Mcp Bio MCP server (narasimhan-lab/tacc-mcp-bio). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
Every MCP server has a record like this.
Type a name, get the same breakdown: verified identity, auth posture, risk grade, capabilities, recommended policy.
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