update_user · Portkey Admin MCP: Risk & Policy

WHAT IT DOES

What update_user does on Portkey Admin

AI agents use update_user to create or update resources in Portkey Admin — usually the action step of a workflow, after the agent has gathered context. Every call changes real data in your Portkey Admin environment.

PARAMETERS

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`role`	string	—	New organization-level role
`user_id`	string	Yes	The user ID to update
`last_name`	string	—	New last name
`first_name`	string	—	New first name

Parameters from the server's own tool schema.

WHY IT NEEDS A POLICY

Why update_user needs a policy

An AI agent can call update_user faster than any human can review — one bad instruction and it creates or modifies resources in Portkey Admin by the hundred, each call as confident as the last.

Attacks that exploit this kind of access

Recommended rule Ready

Verdict

update_user Rate-limited

update_user stays usable, but capped — an agent stuck in a loop can't make hundreds of changes a minute. Everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.

View as policy code

policy.json

{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "update_user": {
      "limits": [
        {
          "counter": "update_user_rate",
          "window": "minute",
          "max": 30,
          "scope": "grant"
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}

LIMIT THIS TOOL →

Instant setup, no code required.

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

FAQ

Questions about update_user

What does the update_user tool do? +

Update a user's first name, last name, or organization role by id. Email and workspace roles are not editable here; use update_workspace_member for workspace membership changes. It is categorised as a Write tool in the Portkey Admin MCP Server, which means it can create or modify data. Consider rate limits to prevent runaway writes.

What parameters does update_user accept? +

update_user accepts 4 parameters: role, user_id, last_name, first_name. Required: user_id. The full parameter table on this page comes from the server's own tool schema.

How do I enforce a policy on update_user? +

Register the Portkey Admin MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for update_user: 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 Portkey Admin. Nothing to install.

What risk level is update_user? +

update_user is a Write tool with medium risk. Write tools should be rate-limited to prevent accidental bulk modifications.

Can I rate-limit update_user? +

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

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

update_user is provided by the Portkey Admin MCP server (CodesWhat/portkey-admin-mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.