publish_to_app_repo

THE RISK

Medium Risk

Why publish_to_app_repo needs a policy

Publishing an application to a repository creates or modifies the state of deployed applications in the company environment. This is a write operation (reversible via unpublish) rather than destructive. The severity is high because publishing a malicious or buggy application company-wide could impact numerous users and business processes, though the action itself remains reversible. Confidence is slightly reduced (0.

From the tool's definition Tool name 'publish_to_app_repo' and description 'Publish an application to the company' indicate creation or modification of application repository state. The action modifies the deployed/published state of an application, making it accessible company-wide.

Documented attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access publish_to_app_repo gives an agent:

POLICY

How to control publish_to_app_repo

PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway — it sits between your AI agents and Now Sdk Ext, and nothing reaches the server without passing your rules. This is the rule we recommend for publish_to_app_repo:

policy.json

{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "publish_to_app_repo": {
      "limits": [
        {
          "counter": "publish_to_app_repo_rate",
          "window": "minute",
          "max": 30,
          "scope": "grant"
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}

publish_to_app_repo stays usable, but capped — an agent stuck in a loop can't make hundreds of changes a minute. Everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.

Create a free account and register Now Sdk Ext — nothing to install.
Add this policy — paste it, or build it visually.
Point your MCP client (Claude, Cursor, anything) at your gateway URL.

LIMIT THIS TOOL →

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EXPLORE

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All 86 Now Sdk Ext tools →

Write tools on other servers

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Go deeper

The MCP Attack Database → Documented attack patterns against MCP deployments — and the policies that stop them.
Argument validation → Checking tool call arguments against schema and policy before they run.
Scoped token → Per-person credentials that grant a defined subset of servers and tools.
Rate Limiting MCP Tool Calls: A Practical Guide →
MCP Security: Why Prompt Guardrails Aren't Enough →

FAQ

Questions about publish_to_app_repo

What does the publish_to_app_repo tool do? +

Publish an application to the company. It is categorised as a Write tool in the Now Sdk Ext MCP Server, which means it can create or modify data. Consider rate limits to prevent runaway writes.

How do I enforce a policy on publish_to_app_repo? +

Register the Now Sdk Ext MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for publish_to_app_repo: 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 Now Sdk Ext. Nothing to install.

What risk level is publish_to_app_repo? +

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

Can I rate-limit publish_to_app_repo? +

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

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

publish_to_app_repo is provided by the Now Sdk Ext MCP server (sonisoft-cnanda/now-sdk-ext-mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.

Enforce policy on every Now Sdk Ext tool call.

Start from Now Sdk Ext, add the rest of your stack, and see everything your agents can call. Then put policy on all of it.

CHECK YOUR STACK →