lookup

THE RISK

Low Risk

Why lookup needs a policy

This tool retrieves reference data without creating, modifying, or deleting records. It has no side effects and poses minimal risk even if misused by an AI agent, as it only exposes existing reference information (likely lookup tables, configurations, or metadata). The low severity reflects the read-only nature and limited blast radius of data retrieval operations.

From the tool's definition Tool name 'lookup' and description 'Fetch reference data from Ashby' indicate a retrieval operation with no modification capability. The verb 'Fetch' confirms read-only semantics.

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

POLICY

How to control lookup

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

policy.json

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

lookup 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 Ashby MCP Server — 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 Ashby MCP Server tools

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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 lookup

What does the lookup tool do? +

Fetch reference data from Ashby. Use the. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Ashby MCP Server MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.

How do I enforce a policy on lookup? +

Register the Ashby MCP Server MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for lookup: 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 Ashby MCP Server. Nothing to install.

What risk level is lookup? +

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

Can I rate-limit lookup? +

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

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

lookup is provided by the Ashby MCP Server MCP server (plenishai/mcp-ashby). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.

Enforce policy on every Ashby MCP Server tool call.

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

CHECK YOUR STACK →