decorate-pane · Ryan's Tmux MCP Server MCP: Risk & Policy

WHAT IT DOES

What decorate-pane does on Ryan's Tmux MCP Server

AI agents invoke decorate-pane to trigger actions in Ryan's Tmux MCP Server. 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 decorate-pane needs a policy

This tool modifies the display/visual state of a tmux pane, which is an external operation affecting a running tmux session. It's not purely a read operation, and while it appears to only change visual decoration (title/border styling), it still triggers an external tmux operation.

From the tool's definition 'Add visual decoration/title to a pane' — modifies the visual state of a tmux pane

Attacks that exploit this kind of access

Recommended rule Ready

Verdict

decorate-pane Rate-limited

decorate-pane 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": {
    "decorate-pane": {
      "limits": [
        {
          "counter": "decorate-pane_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 Ryan's Tmux MCP Server, so you can run agents against it safely.

FAQ

Questions about decorate-pane

What does the decorate-pane tool do? +

Add visual decoration/title to a pane. It is categorised as a Execute tool in the Ryan's Tmux MCP Server MCP Server, which means it can trigger actions or run processes. Use rate limits and argument validation.

How do I enforce a policy on decorate-pane? +

Register the Ryan's Tmux MCP Server MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for decorate-pane: 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 Ryan's Tmux MCP Server. Nothing to install.

What risk level is decorate-pane? +

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

Can I rate-limit decorate-pane? +

Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the decorate-pane 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 decorate-pane completely? +

Set action: deny in the PolicyLayer policy for decorate-pane. 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 decorate-pane? +

decorate-pane is provided by the Ryan's Tmux MCP Server MCP server (ryancnelson/ryan-tmux-mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.