AI agents call remove_delegate to permanently remove resources in Gmail MCP — typically in cleanup and lifecycle workflows. It does its job in a single call, and there is no undo.
Removing a delegate revokes that user's access to the Gmail account. This is an irreversible deletion of an access permission; restoring it requires re-adding the delegate. Because it affects account access control and cannot be automatically undone, it is classified as Destructive with high severity.
From the tool's definition 'Removes the specified delegate' — the action is an irreversible removal of a delegated access grant
Documented attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access remove_delegate gives an agent:
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway — it sits between your AI agents and Gmail MCP, and nothing reaches the server without passing your rules. This is the rule we recommend for remove_delegate:
{
"version": "1",
"default": "deny",
"hide": [
"remove_delegate"
]
}remove_delegate disappears from the agent's tool list entirely, and any attempt to call it is denied. The rest of the server keeps working.
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Removes the specified delegate. It is categorised as a Destructive tool in the Gmail MCP MCP Server, which means it can permanently delete or destroy data. Block by default and require explicit approval.
Register the Gmail MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for remove_delegate: 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 Gmail MCP. Nothing to install.
remove_delegate is a Destructive tool with critical risk. Critical-risk tools should be blocked by default and only enabled with explicit human approval.
Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the remove_delegate 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 remove_delegate. 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.
remove_delegate is provided by the Gmail MCP server (shinzo-labs/gmail-mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
Deterministic rules across all 65 Gmail MCP tools. Per-identity grants. Full audit log. Live in minutes. Nothing to install.
Free to start. No card required.
65 Gmail MCP tools catalogued and risk-classified — across an index of 42,500+ MCP servers.