Medium Risk

create_measure

create_measure

How to control create_measure ↓

What create_measure does on Openstudio

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

Medium Risk

Why create_measure needs a policy

A 'create_measure' operation reversibly creates a new measure object within an OpenStudio model, which can be modified or removed later. This is a Write operation (reversible data creation), not Execute (which would require running external code) or Destructive (which would permanently delete).

From the tool's definition Tool name 'create_measure' combined with server context indicating 'creation, querying, and modification of models' suggests this creates new artifacts (measures are OpenStudio workflow components that modify building models).

Documented attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access create_measure gives an agent:

How to control create_measure

PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway — it sits between your AI agents and Openstudio, and nothing reaches the server without passing your rules. This is the rule we recommend for create_measure:

policy.json
{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "create_measure": {
      "limits": [
        {
          "counter": "create_measure_rate",
          "window": "minute",
          "max": 30,
          "scope": "grant"
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}

create_measure 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.

  1. Create a free account and register Openstudio — nothing to install.
  2. Add this policy — paste it, or build it visually.
  3. Point your MCP client (Claude, Cursor, anything) at your gateway URL.
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Related tools and policies

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Questions about create_measure

What does the create_measure tool do? +

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

How do I enforce a policy on create_measure? +

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

What risk level is create_measure? +

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

Can I rate-limit create_measure? +

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

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

create_measure is provided by the Openstudio MCP server (natlabrockies/openstudio-mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.

Enforce policy on every Openstudio tool call.

Start from Openstudio, add the rest of your stack, and see everything your agents can call. Then put policy on all of it.

Free to start. No card required.

146 Openstudio tools catalogued and risk-classified — across an index of 43,000+ MCP servers.

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