This record as markdown: /tools/openclaw/echo.md
What echo does on OpenClaw
AI agents call echo to retrieve information from OpenClaw without modifying anything. It is typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
Why echo is rated Low
An echo tool merely returns the input it receives. It does not read from external sources, write data, execute commands, or perform any destructive or financial actions. It is essentially a no-op passthrough, making it very low risk.
From the tool's definition Echo input text — simply reflects input back, no side effects, no data modification or retrieval from external systems.
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
The rule that runs echo safely
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway: it sits between your AI agents and OpenClaw, and checks every tool call against a rule you set before the call runs. Nothing changes on the server itself. For echo, this is the rule to start with:
echo is read-only, so it stays allowed. Everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.
The button opens the PolicyLayer dashboard: create your workspace, connect OpenClaw, apply this rule, and every echo call is checked against it from then on.
Questions about echo
Echo input text. It is categorised as a Read tool in the OpenClaw MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the OpenClaw MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for echo: 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 OpenClaw. Nothing to install.
echo 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 echo 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 echo. 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.
echo is provided by the OpenClaw MCP server (openclaw). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
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