memory_status

THE RISK

Low Risk

Why memory_status needs a policy

This tool performs a read-only operation—it queries and returns the current state and metrics of the memory system. There are no side effects, no code execution, no data modification, and no destructive operations. It is purely informational retrieval, fitting the 'Read' category. Severity is low because accessing memory statistics poses minimal risk even if misused by an agent.

From the tool's definition Tool name 'memory_status' and description 'Get memory system status and statistics' indicate a query operation that retrieves information without modifying or executing anything.

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

POLICY

How to control memory_status

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

policy.json

{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "memory_status": {}
  }
}

memory_status is read-only, so it stays allowed — but everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.

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

CAP THIS TOOL →

Free to start. No card required.

EXPLORE

Related tools and policies

More SAM tools

Destructive delete_memory Delete a memory Execute trigger_auto_analysis Manually trigger automatic analysis of conversation Write cascade_interaction Log interaction with Windsurf Cascade AI Write cursor_code_assist Log Cursor AI code assistance interactions with auto-memory Write log_collaboration Log collaboration activities in a Repl Write auto_save_memory Automatically save memory if content triggers the threshold Write configure_triggers Configure automatic trigger settings Write cursor_project_context Update project context and learning patterns

All 37 SAM tools →

Read tools on other servers

M-Team MCP Server get_torrent_detail YouTube MCP Server search_channel Android Forensics ADB MCP Server parse_browser_history 0xarchive web3_challenge

Go deeper

The MCP Attack Database → Documented attack patterns against MCP deployments — and the policies that stop them.
Data exfiltration → How read access becomes an exfiltration channel when chained with untrusted content.
MCP token cost → What connecting this server costs in context-window tokens on every request.
Rate Limiting MCP Tool Calls: A Practical Guide →
MCP Security: Why Prompt Guardrails Aren't Enough →

FAQ

Questions about memory_status

What does the memory_status tool do? +

Get memory system status and statistics. It is categorised as a Read tool in the SAM MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.

How do I enforce a policy on memory_status? +

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

What risk level is memory_status? +

memory_status is a Read tool with low risk. Read-only tools are generally safe to allow by default.

Can I rate-limit memory_status? +

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

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

memory_status is provided by the SAM MCP server (pigrieco/mcp-memory-server). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.

Enforce policy on every SAM tool call.

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

CHECK YOUR STACK →