reboot_vm · Cloud VM MCP: Risk & Policy

WHAT IT DOES

What reboot_vm does on Cloud VM MCP

AI agents invoke reboot_vm to trigger actions in Cloud VM MCP. 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 reboot_vm needs a policy

Rebooting a VM triggers an external operational effect (restarting the machine), causing service interruption and downtime. It is not purely destructive (no data loss) but executes a disruptive control action on infrastructure. Misuse could cause significant availability impact across production workloads.

From the tool's definition Reboot a virtual machine

Attacks that exploit this kind of access

Recommended rule Ready

Verdict

reboot_vm Rate-limited

reboot_vm 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": {
    "reboot_vm": {
      "limits": [
        {
          "counter": "reboot_vm_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 Cloud VM MCP, so you can run agents against it safely.

FAQ

Questions about reboot_vm

What does the reboot_vm tool do? +

Reboot a virtual machine. It is categorised as a Execute tool in the Cloud VM MCP MCP Server, which means it can trigger actions or run processes. Use rate limits and argument validation.

How do I enforce a policy on reboot_vm? +

Register the Cloud VM MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for reboot_vm: 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 Cloud VM MCP. Nothing to install.

What risk level is reboot_vm? +

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

Can I rate-limit reboot_vm? +

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

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

reboot_vm is provided by the Cloud VM MCP server (sondt2709/cloud-vm-mcp-py). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.