Low Risk

nelly_recent

List the most recent Claude Code sessions. Useful when the user doesn't remember specific keywords but knows it was recent.

Part of the Nelly the Elephant MCP server. Enforce policies on this tool with Intercept, the open-source MCP proxy.

AI agents call nelly_recent to retrieve information from Nelly the Elephant without modifying any data. This is common in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows where the agent needs context before taking action. Because read operations don't change state, they are generally safe to allow without restrictions -- but you may still want rate limits to control API costs.

Even though nelly_recent only reads data, uncontrolled read access can leak sensitive information or rack up API costs. An agent caught in a retry loop could make thousands of calls per minute. A rate limit gives you a safety net without blocking legitimate use.

Read-only tools are safe to allow by default. No rate limit needed unless you want to control costs.

nelly-the-elephant.yaml
tools:
  nelly_recent:
    rules:
      - action: allow

See the full Nelly the Elephant policy for all 4 tools.

Tool Name nelly_recent
Category Read
Risk Level Low

Agents calling read-class tools like nelly_recent have been implicated in these attack patterns. Read the full case and prevention policy for each:

Browse the full MCP Attack Database →

Other tools in the Read risk category across the catalogue. The same policy patterns (rate-limit, allow) apply to each.

What does the nelly_recent tool do? +

List the most recent Claude Code sessions. Useful when the user doesn't remember specific keywords but knows it was recent.. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Nelly the Elephant MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.

How do I enforce a policy on nelly_recent? +

Add a rule in your Intercept YAML policy under the tools section for nelly_recent. You can allow, deny, rate-limit, or validate arguments. Then run Intercept as a proxy in front of the Nelly the Elephant MCP server.

What risk level is nelly_recent? +

nelly_recent is a Read tool with low risk. Read-only tools are generally safe to allow by default.

Can I rate-limit nelly_recent? +

Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the nelly_recent rule in your Intercept 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 nelly_recent completely? +

Set action: deny in the Intercept policy for nelly_recent. 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 nelly_recent? +

nelly_recent is provided by the Nelly the Elephant MCP server (nelly-elephant-mcp). Intercept sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.

Enforce policies on Nelly the Elephant

Open source. One binary. Zero dependencies.

npx -y @policylayer/intercept
github.com/policylayer/intercept →
// GET IN TOUCH

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