expire_leases · State Trace MCP: Risk & Policy

WHAT IT DOES

What expire_leases does on State Trace

AI agents invoke expire_leases to trigger actions in State Trace. 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 expire_leases needs a policy

This tool triggers an operational process — expiring leases and either requeuing tasks or marking them as failed. It has side effects on task state (state transitions, requeuing, failure marking) that depend on current system state, placing it in the Execute category.

From the tool's definition 'Expire all active leases that have passed their deadline. Requeues or marks tasks failed per retry policy.'

Attacks that exploit this kind of access

Recommended rule Ready

Verdict

expire_leases Rate-limited

expire_leases 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": {
    "expire_leases": {
      "limits": [
        {
          "counter": "expire_leases_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 State Trace, so you can run agents against it safely.

FAQ

Questions about expire_leases

What does the expire_leases tool do? +

Expire all active leases that have passed their deadline. Requeues or marks tasks failed per retry policy. It is categorised as a Execute tool in the State Trace MCP Server, which means it can trigger actions or run processes. Use rate limits and argument validation.

How do I enforce a policy on expire_leases? +

Register the State Trace MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for expire_leases: 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 State Trace. Nothing to install.

What risk level is expire_leases? +

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

Can I rate-limit expire_leases? +

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

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

expire_leases is provided by the State Trace MCP server (agent-pattern-labs/state-trace). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.

// THE FULL RECORD

expire_leases is one line of State Trace's registry record.

The record carries the whole server: verified identity, auth posture, risk grade, every tool classified, recommended policy — re-checked continuously.

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