AI agents call list_skills to retrieve information from Forgetful without modifying anything — typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
The tool name structure 'list_*' conventionally indicates data retrieval. While the description is empty, the naming pattern is unambiguous—listing skills means fetching/querying existing skill records from the knowledge base without modification, deletion, or code execution. This is a low-severity Read operation typical of knowledge base systems.
From the tool's definition Tool name 'list_skills' indicates a retrieval operation. The verb 'list' is explicitly Read category (query/fetch data with no side effects).
Documented attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access list_skills gives an agent:
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway — it sits between your AI agents and Forgetful, and nothing reaches the server without passing your rules. This is the rule we recommend for list_skills:
{
"version": "1",
"default": "deny",
"tools": {
"list_skills": {}
}
}list_skills is read-only, so it stays allowed — but everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.
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list_skills. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Forgetful MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the Forgetful MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for list_skills: 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 Forgetful. Nothing to install.
list_skills 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 list_skills 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 list_skills. 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.
list_skills is provided by the Forgetful MCP server (scottrbk/forgetful). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
Deterministic rules across all 59 Forgetful tools. Per-identity grants. Full audit log. Live in minutes. Nothing to install.
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59 Forgetful tools catalogued and risk-classified — across an index of 42,500+ MCP servers.