telescope_park · Ascom MCP: Risk & Policy

WHAT IT DOES

What telescope_park does on Ascom

AI agents invoke telescope_park to trigger actions in Ascom. 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 telescope_park needs a policy

This tool executes a physical hardware command, moving the telescope to its park position. While it is reversible in the sense that the telescope can be unparked, it triggers an external physical operation on hardware. It does not delete data or move money, but it does cause real-world physical effects (motor movement, positional change) that qualify as Execute rather than Write.

From the tool's definition 'Park telescope at home position' — triggers a physical movement of the telescope to its park/home position

Attacks that exploit this kind of access

Recommended rule Ready

Verdict

telescope_park Rate-limited

telescope_park 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": {
    "telescope_park": {
      "limits": [
        {
          "counter": "telescope_park_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 Ascom, so you can run agents against it safely.

FAQ

Questions about telescope_park

What does the telescope_park tool do? +

Park telescope at home position. It is categorised as a Execute tool in the Ascom MCP Server, which means it can trigger actions or run processes. Use rate limits and argument validation.

How do I enforce a policy on telescope_park? +

Register the Ascom MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for telescope_park: 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 Ascom. Nothing to install.

What risk level is telescope_park? +

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

Can I rate-limit telescope_park? +

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

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

telescope_park is provided by the Ascom MCP server (stellarpunk/mcp-server-ascom). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.