AI agents call knitbrain_onboard to retrieve information from Knitbrain without modifying anything — typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
Even though knitbrain_onboard only reads data, uncontrolled read access leaks sensitive information and racks up API costs — an agent caught in a retry loop can make thousands of calls a minute without anyone noticing.
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
The front door: onboard a project into the brain. Call with NO args first — it scans the repo + imports this project. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Knitbrain MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the Knitbrain MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for knitbrain_onboard: 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 Knitbrain. Nothing to install.
knitbrain_onboard 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 knitbrain_onboard 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 knitbrain_onboard. 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.
knitbrain_onboard is provided by the Knitbrain MCP server (pdgit12/knitbrain). 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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