Medium Risk

estimate_cost

Estimate credit cost BEFORE running expensive operations. Returns per-operation breakdown, total, current balance, and whether you have enough. Always call this before render_slides or topic_to_video on large projects. YouTube cost is dynamic: min 30 credits, actual = max(30, video_duration_minu...

Part of the SlideMaster MCP server. Enforce policies on this tool with Intercept, the open-source MCP proxy.

@slidemaster/mcp-server Write Risk 2/5

AI agents use estimate_cost to create or modify resources in SlideMaster. Write operations carry medium risk because an autonomous agent could trigger bulk unintended modifications. Rate limits prevent a single agent session from making hundreds of changes in rapid succession. Argument validation ensures the agent passes expected values.

Without a policy, an AI agent could call estimate_cost repeatedly, creating or modifying resources faster than any human could review. Intercept's rate limiting ensures write operations happen at a controlled pace, and argument validation catches malformed or unexpected inputs before they reach SlideMaster.

Write tools can modify data. A rate limit prevents runaway bulk operations from AI agents.

slidemaster.yaml
tools:
  estimate_cost:
    rules:
      - action: allow
        rate_limit:
          max: 30
          window: 60

See the full SlideMaster policy for all 32 tools.

Tool Name estimate_cost
Category Write
Risk Level Medium

View all 32 tools →

Agents calling write-class tools like estimate_cost have been implicated in these attack patterns. Read the full case and prevention policy for each:

Browse the full MCP Attack Database →

Other tools in the Write risk category across the catalogue. The same policy patterns (rate-limit, validate) apply to each.

What does the estimate_cost tool do? +

Estimate credit cost BEFORE running expensive operations. Returns per-operation breakdown, total, current balance, and whether you have enough. Always call this before render_slides or topic_to_video on large projects. YouTube cost is dynamic: min 30 credits, actual = max(30, video_duration_minutes x 2). The estimate returns the minimum (30) since duration is unknown before analysis.. It is categorised as a Write tool in the SlideMaster MCP Server, which means it can create or modify data. Consider rate limits to prevent runaway writes.

How do I enforce a policy on estimate_cost? +

Add a rule in your Intercept YAML policy under the tools section for estimate_cost. You can allow, deny, rate-limit, or validate arguments. Then run Intercept as a proxy in front of the SlideMaster MCP server.

What risk level is estimate_cost? +

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

Can I rate-limit estimate_cost? +

Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the estimate_cost rule in your Intercept 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 estimate_cost completely? +

Set action: deny in the Intercept policy for estimate_cost. 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 estimate_cost? +

estimate_cost is provided by the SlideMaster MCP server (@slidemaster/mcp-server). Intercept sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.

Enforce policies on SlideMaster

Open source. One binary. Zero dependencies.

npx -y @policylayer/intercept
github.com/policylayer/intercept →
// GET IN TOUCH

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