Retrieve an OpenAI assistant by ID
AI agents call retrieve-assistant to retrieve information from OpenAI Assistant MCP Server without modifying anything — typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
This tool retrieves existing assistant data by ID, which is a read-only operation with no data modification, deletion, or execution of code. The blast radius of misuse is minimal—an attacker could enumerate assistants they may have access to, but cannot modify configurations, delete assistants, or execute operations. It fits the 'Read' category as it queries data without side effects.
From the tool's definition Tool name 'retrieve-assistant' and description 'Retrieve an OpenAI assistant by ID' indicate a query operation that fetches assistant metadata without modification or side effects.
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
Retrieve an OpenAI assistant by ID. It is categorised as a Read tool in the OpenAI Assistant MCP Server MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the OpenAI Assistant MCP Server MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for retrieve-assistant: 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 OpenAI Assistant MCP Server. Nothing to install.
retrieve-assistant is a Read tool with low risk. Read-only tools are generally safe to allow by default.
Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the retrieve-assistant 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 retrieve-assistant. 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.
retrieve-assistant is provided by the OpenAI Assistant MCP Server MCP server (snilld-ai/openai-assistant-mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
Every MCP server has a record like this.
Type a name, get the same breakdown: verified identity, auth posture, risk grade, capabilities, recommended policy.
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