gateway_list_servers

List all available MCP backend servers. Call this first to discover what servers and capabilities are available before loading any.

Server MCP Gateway raiansar/mcp-gateway
Category Read
Risk class Low
Parameters 00 required

What gateway_list_servers does on MCP Gateway

AI agents call gateway_list_servers to retrieve information from MCP Gateway without modifying anything — typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.

Why gateway_list_servers needs a policy

This tool queries the state of available backend servers and returns metadata about them. It has no side effects, creates no data, executes no code, and makes no modifications. It is purely informational enumeration, which is the lowest-risk category. The low severity reflects that discovering available services poses minimal security risk in isolation.

From the tool's definition Tool name is 'gateway_list_servers' and description states 'List all available MCP backend servers.' The verb 'list' and the action of discovering/enumerating available servers without modification are characteristic of a Read operation.

Questions about gateway_list_servers

What does the gateway_list_servers tool do? +

List all available MCP backend servers. Call this first to discover what servers and capabilities are available before loading any. It is categorised as a Read tool in the MCP Gateway MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.

How do I enforce a policy on gateway_list_servers? +

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

What risk level is gateway_list_servers? +

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

Can I rate-limit gateway_list_servers? +

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

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

gateway_list_servers is provided by the MCP Gateway MCP server (raiansar/mcp-gateway). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.

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