refresh · Arcmap MCP: Risk & Policy

WHAT IT DOES

What refresh does on Arcmap

AI agents invoke refresh to trigger actions in Arcmap. What it does depends on the arguments the agent supplies, and its effects often reach beyond the immediate call — builds kicked off, notifications sent, workflows started.

WHY IT NEEDS A POLICY

Why refresh needs a policy

The tool triggers an external operation on a live ArcMap session (refreshing the active view and table of contents). It does not read/query data in a pure sense, nor does it write, destroy, or involve finances. It executes an action against the ArcMap application, though the blast radius is low as refreshing is a benign, non-destructive operation.

From the tool's definition 'Refresca la vista activa y la tabla de contenidos de ArcMap' — triggers an external operation (refresh) on a live ArcMap session

Attacks that exploit this kind of access

Recommended rule Ready

Verdict

refresh Rate-limited

refresh stays usable, but rate-capped — a runaway agent can't fire it dozens of times a minute. Everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.

View as policy code

policy.json

{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "refresh": {
      "limits": [
        {
          "counter": "refresh_rate",
          "window": "minute",
          "max": 10,
          "scope": "grant"
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}

RATE-LIMIT THIS TOOL →

Instant setup, no code required.

PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway: every tool call is checked against your rule before it reaches Arcmap, so you can run agents against it safely.

FAQ

Questions about refresh

What does the refresh tool do? +

Refresca la vista activa y la tabla de contenidos de ArcMap. It is categorised as a Execute tool in the Arcmap MCP Server, which means it can trigger actions or run processes. Use rate limits and argument validation.

How do I enforce a policy on refresh? +

Register the Arcmap MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for refresh: 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 Arcmap. Nothing to install.

What risk level is refresh? +

refresh is a Execute tool with high risk. Execute tools should be rate-limited and have argument validation enabled.

Can I rate-limit refresh? +

Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the refresh 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 refresh completely? +

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

refresh is provided by the Arcmap MCP server (pedralcg/arcmap-mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.