Check the progress of a research task started by harness_research. After calling harness_research, you MUST poll this tool with the returned task_id every 30-60 seconds. - status
AI agents call harness_status to retrieve information from Harness Research MCP without modifying anything — typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
This tool only reads/queries the current state of an existing research task. It has no side effects, does not create, modify, or delete data, and does not execute operations. It is purely informational and falls squarely into the Read category with minimal security risk.
From the tool's definition Tool name 'harness_status' and description 'Check the progress of a research task' — retrieves status information without modifying or executing operations.
Risk signalsBulk/mass operation — affects multiple targets
Documented attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access harness_status gives an agent:
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway — it sits between your AI agents and Harness Research MCP, and nothing reaches the server without passing your rules. This is the rule we recommend for harness_status:
{
"version": "1",
"default": "deny",
"tools": {
"harness_status": {}
}
}harness_status is read-only, so it stays allowed — but everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.
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Check the progress of a research task started by harness_research. After calling harness_research, you MUST poll this tool with the returned task_id every 30-60 seconds. - status. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Harness Research MCP MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the Harness Research MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for harness_status: 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 Harness Research MCP. Nothing to install.
harness_status 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 harness_status 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 harness_status. 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.
harness_status is provided by the Harness Research MCP server (nimo1987/harness-research). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
Start from Harness Research MCP, 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.
3 Harness Research MCP tools catalogued and risk-classified — across an index of 43,000+ MCP servers.