AI agents call refresh-api-catalog to retrieve information from MCP OpenAPI Server without modifying anything — typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
Even though refresh-api-catalog only reads data, uncontrolled read access leaks sensitive information and racks up API costs — an agent caught in a retry loop can make thousands of calls a minute without anyone noticing.
Documented attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access refresh-api-catalog gives an agent:
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway — it sits between your AI agents and MCP OpenAPI Server, and nothing reaches the server without passing your rules. This is the rule we recommend for refresh-api-catalog:
{
"version": "1",
"default": "deny",
"tools": {
"refresh-api-catalog": {}
}
}refresh-api-catalog is read-only, so it stays allowed — but everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.
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Refresh the API catalog. It is categorised as a Read tool in the MCP OpenAPI Server MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the MCP OpenAPI Server MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for refresh-api-catalog: 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 OpenAPI Server. Nothing to install.
refresh-api-catalog is a Read tool with low risk. Read-only tools are generally safe to allow by default.
Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the refresh-api-catalog 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.
Set action: deny in the PolicyLayer policy for refresh-api-catalog. 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.
refresh-api-catalog is provided by the MCP OpenAPI Server MCP server (reapi-com/mcp-openapi). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
Deterministic rules across all 7 MCP OpenAPI Server tools. Per-identity grants. Full audit log. Live in minutes. Nothing to install.
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7 MCP OpenAPI Server tools catalogued and risk-classified — across an index of 42,500+ MCP servers.