Lists all pods in a specific namespace
AI agents call list-pods to retrieve information from K8s Doctor MCP without modifying anything — typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
The tool performs read-only retrieval of pod information within a specified namespace. It does not create, modify, delete, or execute operations on any resources. The blast radius of misuse is minimal—unauthorized listing of pods could leak cluster topology information but cannot directly damage systems or data. Classified as Read with low severity.
From the tool's definition Tool name 'list-pods' and description 'Lists all pods in a specific namespace' indicate a retrieval operation with no side effects. This is a straightforward list/query operation consistent with Kubernetes kubectl get pods functionality.
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
Lists all pods in a specific namespace. It is categorised as a Read tool in the K8s Doctor MCP MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the K8s Doctor MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for list-pods: 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 K8s Doctor MCP. Nothing to install.
list-pods 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-pods 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-pods. 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-pods is provided by the K8s Doctor MCP server (ongjin/k8s-doctor-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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