alexa_announce · Alexa MCP: Risk & Policy

WHAT IT DOES

What alexa_announce does on Alexa

AI agents invoke alexa_announce to trigger actions in Alexa. 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 alexa_announce needs a policy

This tool triggers an external operation on a physical device — causing an Echo to speak a message aloud. It is not a simple data read or write; it executes an action on an external system (the Alexa device). Misuse could involve sending unwanted, alarming, or manipulative audio announcements to households, giving it medium severity.

From the tool's definition Send a voice announcement to a specific Echo device. The message will be spoken aloud.

Attacks that exploit this kind of access

Recommended rule Ready

Verdict

alexa_announce Rate-limited

alexa_announce 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": {
    "alexa_announce": {
      "limits": [
        {
          "counter": "alexa_announce_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 Alexa, so you can run agents against it safely.

FAQ

Questions about alexa_announce

What does the alexa_announce tool do? +

Send a voice announcement to a specific Echo device. The message will be spoken aloud. It is categorised as a Execute tool in the Alexa MCP Server, which means it can trigger actions or run processes. Use rate limits and argument validation.

How do I enforce a policy on alexa_announce? +

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

What risk level is alexa_announce? +

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

Can I rate-limit alexa_announce? +

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

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

alexa_announce is provided by the Alexa MCP server (serversmx/alexa-mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.