listFolderContents

THE RISK

Low Risk

Why listFolderContents needs a policy

This tool performs a read-only operation on Google Drive, retrieving folder metadata and file listings. It has no capability to modify, delete, or execute operations. The blast radius is minimal—an agent misusing this tool could only discover files/folders it has access to, which is an information disclosure risk but not destructive or operationally harmful.

From the tool's definition Tool name 'listFolderContents' and description 'Lists the contents of a specific folder in Google Drive' indicate a query operation that retrieves data without modification or side effects.

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

POLICY

How to control listFolderContents

PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway — it sits between your AI agents and Google Workspace MCP Server, and nothing reaches the server without passing your rules. This is the rule we recommend for listFolderContents:

policy.json

{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "listFolderContents": {}
  }
}

listFolderContents is read-only, so it stays allowed — but everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.

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

CAP THIS TOOL →

Free to start. No card required.

EXPLORE

Related tools and policies

More Google Workspace MCP Server tools

Destructive clearSpreadsheetRange Clears all values from a specific range in a Google Spreadsheet. Destructive deleteCalendarEvent Delete a calendar event. Destructive deleteComment Deletes a comment from the document. Destructive deleteFile Permanently deletes a file or folder from Google Drive. Destructive deleteGmailFilter Delete a Gmail filter. Destructive deleteGmailLabel Delete a Gmail label. Cannot delete system labels. Destructive deleteRange Deletes content within a specified range (start index inclusive, end index exclusive) from Execute updateScriptContent Updates the content of an Apps Script project. You can add multiple script files (Code.gs,

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Go deeper

The MCP Attack Database → Documented attack patterns against MCP deployments — and the policies that stop them.
Data exfiltration → How read access becomes an exfiltration channel when chained with untrusted content.
MCP token cost → What connecting this server costs in context-window tokens on every request.
Rate Limiting MCP Tool Calls: A Practical Guide →
MCP Security: Why Prompt Guardrails Aren't Enough →

FAQ

Questions about listFolderContents

What does the listFolderContents tool do? +

Lists the contents of a specific folder in Google Drive. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Google Workspace MCP Server MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.

How do I enforce a policy on listFolderContents? +

Register the Google Workspace MCP Server MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for listFolderContents: 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 Google Workspace MCP Server. Nothing to install.

What risk level is listFolderContents? +

listFolderContents is a Read tool with low risk. Read-only tools are generally safe to allow by default.

Can I rate-limit listFolderContents? +

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

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

listFolderContents is provided by the Google Workspace MCP Server MCP server (sputnicyoji/google-workspace-mcp-with-script). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.

Enforce policy on every Google Workspace MCP Server tool call.

Start from Google Workspace MCP Server, add the rest of your stack, and see everything your agents can call. Then put policy on all of it.

CHECK YOUR STACK →