Downloads an email attachment to a specified location
AI agents call download_attachment to retrieve information from Gmail AutoAuth MCP Server without modifying anything — typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
Downloading an attachment is fundamentally a read operation that retrieves data from Gmail and stores it locally. It does not modify, delete, or execute anything within Gmail or on the system beyond writing a file to disk as a result of user-directed retrieval. While the downloaded file could theoretically be malicious, the tool itself performs no destructive, financial, or execute-level actions.
From the tool's definition Tool name is 'download_attachment' and description states it 'Downloads an email attachment to a specified location' — this is a retrieval operation with no side effects on the email system itself.
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
Downloads an email attachment to a specified location. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Gmail AutoAuth MCP Server MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the Gmail AutoAuth MCP Server MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for download_attachment: 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 Gmail AutoAuth MCP Server. Nothing to install.
download_attachment 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 download_attachment 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 download_attachment. 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.
download_attachment is provided by the Gmail AutoAuth MCP Server MCP server (rmcaccounting/gmail-mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
Every MCP server has a record like this.
Type a name, get the same breakdown: verified identity, auth posture, risk grade, capabilities, recommended policy.
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