ping · Keel MCP: Risk & Policy

WHAT IT DOES

What ping does on Keel

AI agents invoke ping to trigger actions in Keel. 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 ping needs a policy

This tool actively initiates outbound network connections to external hosts. While it's a diagnostic read-like operation, it executes real network operations (TCP connect attempts) against target systems, which constitutes external operation execution. Misuse could enable port probing or be used to reach internal network hosts.

From the tool's definition Ping a host using TCP connect (port 80) as a non-root ICMP alternative

Risk signalsAdmin/system-level operation

Attacks that exploit this kind of access

Recommended rule Ready

Verdict

ping Rate-limited

ping 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": {
    "ping": {
      "limits": [
        {
          "counter": "ping_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 Keel, so you can run agents against it safely.

FAQ

Questions about ping

What does the ping tool do? +

Ping a host using TCP connect (port 80) as a non-root ICMP alternative. It is categorised as a Execute tool in the Keel MCP Server, which means it can trigger actions or run processes. Use rate limits and argument validation.

How do I enforce a policy on ping? +

Register the Keel MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for ping: 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 Keel. Nothing to install.

What risk level is ping? +

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

Can I rate-limit ping? +

Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the ping 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 ping completely? +

Set action: deny in the PolicyLayer policy for ping. 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 ping? +

ping is provided by the Keel MCP server (seayniclabs/keel). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.