Create a Google Photos Picker session. Returns a pickerUri the user must open in their browser to select photos from their FULL library (not just app-created data). After the user selects photos, use poll_picker_session to retrieve them.
AI agents use create_picker_session to create or update resources in Google Photos MCP Server — usually the action step of a workflow, after the agent has gathered context. Every call changes real data in your Google Photos MCP Server environment.
This tool creates a picker session object, which is a Write operation (creates a new resource). It does not retrieve photos itself, does not delete or modify data, and has no financial impact. The blast radius is low because it only initiates a session that requires explicit user browser interaction to select photos before any media is actually accessed.
From the tool's definition Create a Google Photos Picker session... Returns a pickerUri the user must open in their browser to select photos
Documented attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access create_picker_session gives an agent:
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway — it sits between your AI agents and Google Photos MCP Server, and nothing reaches the server without passing your rules. This is the rule we recommend for create_picker_session:
{
"version": "1",
"default": "deny",
"tools": {
"create_picker_session": {
"limits": [
{
"counter": "create_picker_session_rate",
"window": "minute",
"max": 30,
"scope": "grant"
}
]
}
}
}create_picker_session 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 Google Photos Picker session. Returns a pickerUri the user must open in their browser to select photos from their FULL library (not just app-created data). After the user selects photos, use poll_picker_session to retrieve them. It is categorised as a Write tool in the Google Photos MCP Server MCP Server, which means it can create or modify data. Consider rate limits to prevent runaway writes.
Register the Google Photos MCP Server MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for create_picker_session: 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 Google Photos MCP Server. Nothing to install.
create_picker_session 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 create_picker_session 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 create_picker_session. 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.
create_picker_session is provided by the Google Photos MCP Server MCP server (savethepolarbears/google-photos-mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
Start from Google Photos MCP Server, add the rest of your stack, and see everything your agents can call. Then put policy on all of it.
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19 Google Photos MCP Server tools catalogued and risk-classified — across an index of 43,000+ MCP servers.