wait · MCP Codex Worker MCP: Risk & Policy

WHAT IT DOES

What wait does on MCP Codex Worker

AI agents invoke wait to trigger actions in MCP Codex Worker. 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 wait needs a policy

While 'wait' itself is a blocking/polling operation, it is a control mechanism for jobs that perform Execute-category actions (code patching, testing). The tool manages the completion of operations whose side effects depend on what the delegated job performed. This makes it Execute rather than Read, as it's part of an execution pipeline.

From the tool's definition The tool 'wait' is part of a job execution system that delegates 'code reading, patching, and testing' to async workers. Waiting for a job to finish is part of the lifecycle management of executing external operations on code.

Attacks that exploit this kind of access

Recommended rule Ready

Verdict

wait Rate-limited

wait 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": {
    "wait": {
      "limits": [
        {
          "counter": "wait_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 MCP Codex Worker, so you can run agents against it safely.

FAQ

Questions about wait

What does the wait tool do? +

Wait for a job to finish with a timeout. Timeout returns without killing the worker. It is categorised as a Execute tool in the MCP Codex Worker MCP Server, which means it can trigger actions or run processes. Use rate limits and argument validation.

How do I enforce a policy on wait? +

Register the MCP Codex Worker MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for wait: 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 MCP Codex Worker. Nothing to install.

What risk level is wait? +

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

Can I rate-limit wait? +

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

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

wait is provided by the MCP Codex Worker MCP server (sorryorc/mcp-codex-worker). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.