messages · iTerm MCP: Risk & Policy

WHAT IT DOES

What messages does on iTerm MCP

AI agents call messages as a supporting operation in iTerm MCP workflows.

WHY IT NEEDS A POLICY

Why messages needs a policy

The description is empty and uninformative. The name 'messages' could relate to reading, writing, or inter-agent communication on this MCP server (which supports AI orchestration and session management). Without more context, it cannot be reliably classified beyond 'Other', though the server context suggests it may relate to a message bus or inter-session communication. Confidence is low due to lack of evidence.

From the tool's definition Tool name is 'messages' with an empty description. No functional details are provided.

Attacks that exploit this kind of access

Recommended rule Ready

Verdict

messages Rate-limited

messages gets a rate cap, and everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.

View as policy code

policy.json

{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "messages": {
      "limits": [
        {
          "counter": "messages_rate",
          "window": "minute",
          "max": 60,
          "scope": "grant"
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}

SET A RULE FOR THIS TOOL →

Instant setup, no code required.

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

FAQ

Questions about messages

What does the messages tool do? +

messages. It is categorised as a Other tool in the iTerm MCP MCP Server, which means it performs auxiliary operations.

How do I enforce a policy on messages? +

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

What risk level is messages? +

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

Can I rate-limit messages? +

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

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

messages is provided by the iTerm MCP server (research-developer/iterm-mcp-claude-agency). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.