List categories that are not assigned to recipes.
AI agents call list_empty_categories to retrieve information from Mealie MCP Server without modifying anything — typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
This tool performs a read-only query to enumerate categories without any assigned recipes. It retrieves information without side effects, making it a Read category risk. The severity is low because listing empty categories poses minimal security risk—it does not modify data, execute code, or expose sensitive user information beyond what a user would already know about their own recipe organization.
From the tool's definition Tool name is 'list_empty_categories' and description states 'List categories that are not assigned to recipes.' The verb 'list' indicates a retrieval operation with no data modification.
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
List categories that are not assigned to recipes. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Mealie MCP Server MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the Mealie MCP Server MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for list_empty_categories: 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 Mealie MCP Server. Nothing to install.
list_empty_categories 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_empty_categories 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_empty_categories. 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_empty_categories is provided by the Mealie MCP Server MCP server (nikopol666/mealie-mcp). 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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