AI agents use createIteration to create or update resources in Azure Devops — usually the action step of a workflow, after the agent has gathered context. Every call changes real data in your Azure Devops environment.
This tool creates new data (an iteration/sprint) within a project, which is a reversible modification. It does not execute code, delete data, move money, or have destructive side effects. The blast radius is moderate—a misconfigured iteration could disrupt sprint planning and team workflows, but can be deleted/corrected afterward.
From the tool's definition Tool name 'createIteration' and description 'Create a new iteration in a project' indicate a create operation that adds a new planning iteration/sprint to an Azure DevOps project.
Documented attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access createIteration gives an agent:
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway — it sits between your AI agents and Azure Devops, and nothing reaches the server without passing your rules. This is the rule we recommend for createIteration:
{
"version": "1",
"default": "deny",
"tools": {
"createIteration": {
"limits": [
{
"counter": "createiteration_rate",
"window": "minute",
"max": 30,
"scope": "grant"
}
]
}
}
}createIteration stays usable, but capped — an agent stuck in a loop can't make hundreds of changes a minute. Everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.
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Create a new iteration in a project. It is categorised as a Write tool in the Azure Devops MCP Server, which means it can create or modify data. Consider rate limits to prevent runaway writes.
Register the Azure Devops MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for createIteration: 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 Azure Devops. Nothing to install.
createIteration is a Write tool with medium risk. Write tools should be rate-limited to prevent accidental bulk modifications.
Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the createIteration 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 createIteration. 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.
createIteration is provided by the Azure Devops MCP server (ryancardin15/azuredevops-mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
Deterministic rules across all 97 Azure Devops tools. Per-identity grants. Full audit log. Live in minutes. Nothing to install.
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97 Azure Devops tools catalogued and risk-classified — across an index of 42,500+ MCP servers.