runSEOAudit · BrowserTools MCP: Risk & Policy

WHAT IT DOES

What runSEOAudit does on BrowserTools MCP

AI agents invoke runSEOAudit to trigger actions in BrowserTools MCP. 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 runSEOAudit needs a policy

This tool executes an audit operation on a live webpage, which qualifies as Execute rather than Read. The audit may trigger page interactions, DOM traversal, or analytics that could have side effects depending on the page's code. Severity is medium because SEO audits typically don't modify data or trigger destructive actions, but they do invoke external scanning logic whose behavior depends on page content.

From the tool's definition Tool performs 'Run an SEO audit' - an active operation that triggers analysis of the current page. Described as a run/execute action, distinct from passive read operations like getConsoleErrors or getNetworkLogs found on the same server.

Attacks that exploit this kind of access

Recommended rule Ready

Verdict

runSEOAudit Rate-limited

runSEOAudit 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": {
    "runSEOAudit": {
      "limits": [
        {
          "counter": "runseoaudit_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 BrowserTools MCP, so you can run agents against it safely.

FAQ

Questions about runSEOAudit

What does the runSEOAudit tool do? +

Run an SEO audit on the current page. It is categorised as a Execute tool in the BrowserTools MCP MCP Server, which means it can trigger actions or run processes. Use rate limits and argument validation.

How do I enforce a policy on runSEOAudit? +

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

What risk level is runSEOAudit? +

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

Can I rate-limit runSEOAudit? +

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

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

runSEOAudit is provided by the BrowserTools MCP server (sugatraj/cursor-browser-tools-mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.