orchestrate · iTerm MCP: Risk & Policy

WHAT IT DOES

What orchestrate does on iTerm MCP

AI agents invoke orchestrate to trigger actions in iTerm MCP. 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 orchestrate needs a policy

The tool operates within a server designed to execute arbitrary commands in terminal sessions. 'Orchestrate' implies coordinating multiple Execute operations across sessions, making it an Execute-category tool with high severity due to potential for widespread command execution and side effects that depend on orchestration arguments.

From the tool's definition Tool named 'orchestrate' on an iTerm MCP server that 'Controls iTerm2 terminal sessions' and supports 'parallel command execution' and 'AI orchestration'.

Attacks that exploit this kind of access

Recommended rule Ready

Verdict

orchestrate Rate-limited

orchestrate 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": {
    "orchestrate": {
      "limits": [
        {
          "counter": "orchestrate_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 iTerm MCP, so you can run agents against it safely.

FAQ

Questions about orchestrate

What does the orchestrate tool do? +

orchestrate. It is categorised as a Execute tool in the iTerm MCP MCP Server, which means it can trigger actions or run processes. Use rate limits and argument validation.

How do I enforce a policy on orchestrate? +

Register the iTerm MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for orchestrate: 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 orchestrate? +

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

Can I rate-limit orchestrate? +

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

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

orchestrate 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.