cancel_calculation

THE RISK

Critical Risk

Why cancel_calculation needs a policy

Cancelling a running calculation is an irreversible action — the computation state and any intermediate results are lost. This cannot be undone once the task is terminated, making it Destructive in nature. Severity is high because cancelling a long-running quantum chemistry or materials science calculation (potentially hours/days of compute) results in permanent loss of progress and wasted resources.

From the tool's definition cancel_calculation - 'Request cancellation of a calculation task'

Documented attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access cancel_calculation gives an agent:

POLICY

How to control cancel_calculation

PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway — it sits between your AI agents and Abacus, and nothing reaches the server without passing your rules. This is the rule we recommend for cancel_calculation:

policy.json

{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "hide": [
    "cancel_calculation"
  ]
}

cancel_calculation disappears from the agent's tool list entirely, and any attempt to call it is denied. The rest of the server keeps working.

Create a free account and register Abacus — nothing to install.
Add this policy — paste it, or build it visually.
Point your MCP client (Claude, Cursor, anything) at your gateway URL.

RESTRICT THIS TOOL →

Free to start. No card required.

EXPLORE

Related tools and policies

More Abacus tools

Execute run_md Run ABACUS Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulation. Execute run_optimization Run ABACUS geometry optimization. Execute run_scf Run ABACUS Self-Consistent Field (SCF) calculation. Execute calculate_band_structure Calculate ABACUS band structure. Execute calculate_dos Calculate ABACUS Density of States (DOS). Execute optimize_structure Alias for run_optimization tool. Performs geometry optimization. Write run_phonon_preparation Prepare input files for ABACUS DFPT phonon calculation. Write convert_structure Convert atomic structure data between formats.

All 22 Abacus tools →

Destructive tools on other servers

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Go deeper

Critical-risk tools in Abacus → Every critical-risk tool this server exposes, in one view.
All critical-risk MCP tools → Every critical-risk tool across the catalogue, and the policy pattern that contains them.
The MCP Attack Database → Documented attack patterns against MCP deployments — and the policies that stop them.
Blast radius → How much damage one compromised or confused agent can do — and how to bound it.
Tool call approval → Approval gates on individual tool calls: auto-allow, prompt, or deny.
Rate Limiting MCP Tool Calls: A Practical Guide →
MCP Security: Why Prompt Guardrails Aren't Enough →

FAQ

Questions about cancel_calculation

What does the cancel_calculation tool do? +

Request cancellation of a calculation task (simplified). It is categorised as a Destructive tool in the Abacus MCP Server, which means it can permanently delete or destroy data. Block by default and require explicit approval.

How do I enforce a policy on cancel_calculation? +

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

What risk level is cancel_calculation? +

cancel_calculation is a Destructive tool with critical risk. Critical-risk tools should be blocked by default and only enabled with explicit human approval.

Can I rate-limit cancel_calculation? +

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

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

cancel_calculation is provided by the Abacus MCP server (phelanshao/abacus-mcp-server). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.

Enforce policy on every Abacus tool call.

Start from Abacus, add the rest of your stack, and see everything your agents can call. Then put policy on all of it.

CHECK YOUR STACK →