kill_process · Sysprobe MCP: Risk & Policy

WHAT IT DOES

What kill_process does on Sysprobe

AI agents invoke kill_process to trigger actions in Sysprobe. What it does depends on the arguments the agent supplies, and its effects often reach beyond the immediate call — builds kicked off, notifications sent, workflows started.

WHY IT NEEDS A POLICY

Why kill_process needs a policy

Sending signals to processes is an Execute-level action: it directly controls running processes and can terminate them. While process termination could be considered destructive, processes can be restarted, and the primary action is triggering an OS-level signal rather than irreversibly destroying data. The default SIGTERM is graceful, though SIGKILL is possible.

From the tool's definition 'Send a signal to a PID' and '[ACTION] ... Gated' — this tool sends Unix signals (e.g., SIGTERM, SIGKILL) to running processes, which can terminate or alter process execution

Attacks that exploit this kind of access

Recommended rule Ready

Verdict

kill_process Rate-limited

kill_process stays usable, but rate-capped — a runaway agent can't fire it dozens of times a minute. Everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.

View as policy code

policy.json

{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "kill_process": {
      "limits": [
        {
          "counter": "kill_process_rate",
          "window": "minute",
          "max": 10,
          "scope": "grant"
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}

RATE-LIMIT THIS TOOL →

Instant setup, no code required.

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

FAQ

Questions about kill_process

What does the kill_process tool do? +

[ACTION] Send a signal to a PID (default SIGTERM). Gated. It is categorised as a Execute tool in the Sysprobe MCP Server, which means it can trigger actions or run processes. Use rate limits and argument validation.

How do I enforce a policy on kill_process? +

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

What risk level is kill_process? +

kill_process is a Execute tool with high risk. Execute tools should be rate-limited and have argument validation enabled.

Can I rate-limit kill_process? +

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

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

kill_process is provided by the Sysprobe MCP server (raindancer118/sysprobe-mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.