moveFile

THE RISK

Medium Risk

Why moveFile needs a policy

Moving a file or folder changes its location/parent directory but does not delete or irreversibly destroy data. The operation is reversible—a file can be moved back to its original location. This qualifies as Write rather than Destructive.

From the tool's definition Tool name is 'moveFile' and description states it 'Moves a file or folder to a different location in Google Drive.' Moving is a reversible modification operation.

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

POLICY

How to control moveFile

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 moveFile:

policy.json

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

moveFile 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 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.

LIMIT 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,

All 72 Google Workspace MCP Server 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 moveFile

What does the moveFile tool do? +

Moves a file or folder to a different location in Google Drive. It is categorised as a Write tool in the Google Workspace MCP Server MCP Server, which means it can create or modify data. Consider rate limits to prevent runaway writes.

How do I enforce a policy on moveFile? +

Register the Google Workspace MCP Server MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for moveFile: 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 moveFile? +

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

Can I rate-limit moveFile? +

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

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

moveFile 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 →