pairing

Secure DM pairing (approve inbound requests)

SERVEROpenClaw SOURCEopenclaw

Medium RISK CLASS

Category Write

Parameters 00 required

Recommended Rate-limitedsee the rule below

Registry record Grade F, identity verified Pull the record →

This record as markdown: /tools/openclaw/pairing.md

WHAT IT DOES

What pairing does on OpenClaw

AI agents use pairing to create or update resources in OpenClaw, usually the action step of a workflow, after the agent has gathered context. Every call changes real data in your OpenClaw environment.

RISK

Why pairing is rated Medium

The tool writes to approval/pairing state by approving inbound requests, making it a Write operation rather than Read. Severity is high because approving unauthorized DM pairings could enable unauthorized communication channels or social engineering, but it is not Destructive (reversible), Financial, or Execute (no code execution).

From the tool's definition 'approve inbound requests' indicates the tool modifies approval state or permissions for direct message pairings, creating or updating authorization records.

Attacks that exploit this kind of access

RECOMMENDED RULE

The rule that runs pairing 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 pairing, this is the rule to start with:

pairing Rate-limited

pairing stays usable, but capped: an agent stuck in a loop can't make hundreds of changes a minute. Everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.

View as policy code

policy.json

{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "pairing": {
      "limits": [
        {
          "counter": "pairing_rate",
          "window": "minute",
          "max": 30,
          "scope": "grant"
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}

LIMIT THIS TOOL → Instant setup, no code required.

The button opens the PolicyLayer dashboard: create your workspace, connect OpenClaw, apply this rule, and every pairing call is checked against it from then on.

FAQ

Questions about pairing

What does the pairing tool do? +

Secure DM pairing (approve inbound requests). It is categorised as a Write tool in the OpenClaw MCP Server, which means it can create or modify data. Consider rate limits to prevent runaway writes.

How do I enforce a policy on pairing? +

Register the OpenClaw MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for pairing: 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.

What risk level is pairing? +

pairing is a Write tool with medium risk. Write tools should be rate-limited to prevent accidental bulk modifications.

Can I rate-limit pairing? +

Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the pairing 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.

How do I block pairing completely? +

Set action: deny in the PolicyLayer policy for pairing. 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 pairing? +

pairing 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.

KEEP EXPLORING

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