List contents of a directory inside workspace
AI agents call list_dir to retrieve information from Mcp Toolkit without modifying anything — typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
This tool retrieves and queries directory information with no side effects—no data is created, modified, deleted, or executed. It is a standard file system read operation limited to the workspace scope, making it a straightforward Read category tool with low severity risk.
From the tool's definition Tool name 'list_dir' and description 'List contents of a directory inside workspace' indicate retrieval of directory contents without modification or deletion.
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
List contents of a directory inside workspace. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Mcp Toolkit MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the Mcp Toolkit MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for list_dir: 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 Toolkit. Nothing to install.
list_dir is a Read tool with low risk. Read-only tools are generally safe to allow by default.
Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the list_dir 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.
Set action: deny in the PolicyLayer policy for list_dir. 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.
list_dir is provided by the Mcp Toolkit MCP server (studiopig/mcp-toolkit). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
Every MCP server has a record like this.
Type a name, get the same breakdown: verified identity, auth posture, risk grade, capabilities, recommended policy.
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