Medium Risk

generate_toc

Generate a Table of Contents from document headings.

How to control generate_toc ↓

What generate_toc does on Docx

AI agents use generate_toc to create or update resources in Docx — usually the action step of a workflow, after the agent has gathered context. Every call changes real data in your Docx environment.

Medium Risk

Why generate_toc needs a policy

Generating a TOC is a write operation—it creates or modifies document content by inserting a table of contents based on headings. This is reversible (can be deleted or regenerated), so it does not qualify as Destructive. It does not execute code, query external systems, move money, or have read-only semantics, so Execute, Financial, and Read are not applicable.

From the tool's definition The tool 'generate_toc' generates a Table of Contents, which creates new content (a TOC structure) in the document.

Documented attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access generate_toc gives an agent:

How to control generate_toc

PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway — it sits between your AI agents and Docx, and nothing reaches the server without passing your rules. This is the rule we recommend for generate_toc:

policy.json
{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "generate_toc": {
      "limits": [
        {
          "counter": "generate_toc_rate",
          "window": "minute",
          "max": 30,
          "scope": "grant"
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}

generate_toc 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.

  1. Create a free account and register Docx — nothing to install.
  2. Add this policy — paste it, or build it visually.
  3. Point your MCP client (Claude, Cursor, anything) at your gateway URL.
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Related tools and policies

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Questions about generate_toc

What does the generate_toc tool do? +

Generate a Table of Contents from document headings. It is categorised as a Write tool in the Docx MCP Server, which means it can create or modify data. Consider rate limits to prevent runaway writes.

How do I enforce a policy on generate_toc? +

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

What risk level is generate_toc? +

generate_toc is a Write tool with medium risk. Write tools should be rate-limited to prevent accidental bulk modifications.

Can I rate-limit generate_toc? +

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

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

generate_toc is provided by the Docx MCP server (securityronin/docx-mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.

Enforce policy on every Docx tool call.

Start from Docx, add the rest of your stack, and see everything your agents can call. Then put policy on all of it.

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219 Docx tools catalogued and risk-classified — across an index of 43,000+ MCP servers.

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