draft_email · Gmail MCP: Risk & Policy

WHAT IT DOES

What draft_email does on Gmail

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

WHY IT NEEDS A POLICY

Why draft_email needs a policy

Drafting an email creates a new draft in the Gmail account. This is a reversible write operation — the draft can be deleted before sending and does not immediately send or expose data externally. However, misuse could result in unintended emails being saved or later sent, warranting medium severity.

From the tool's definition Draft a new email

Attacks that exploit this kind of access

Recommended rule Ready

Verdict

draft_email Rate-limited

draft_email 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": {
    "draft_email": {
      "limits": [
        {
          "counter": "draft_email_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 Gmail, so you can run agents against it safely.

FAQ

Questions about draft_email

What does the draft_email tool do? +

Draft a new email. It is categorised as a Write tool in the Gmail MCP Server, which means it can create or modify data. Consider rate limits to prevent runaway writes.

How do I enforce a policy on draft_email? +

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

What risk level is draft_email? +

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

Can I rate-limit draft_email? +

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

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

draft_email is provided by the Gmail MCP server (pouyanafisi/gmail-mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.