Blast radius before a change: lists model objects that depend on a measure/column (INFO.CALCDEPENDENCY) and, when a PBIP project is loaded, the report files/visuals that reference it. Run before renaming or deleting.
AI agents call impact_analysis to retrieve information from Power BI MCP Server without modifying anything — typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
The tool reads and reports dependency relationships using INFO.CALCDEPENDENCY and scans report files/visuals. It is explicitly described as a pre-change analysis tool with no writes, modifications, or deletions. Pure read/query operation with low blast radius.
From the tool's definition 'lists model objects that depend on a measure/column' and 'Run before renaming or deleting' — purely queries dependency information with no side effects
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
Blast radius before a change: lists model objects that depend on a measure/column (INFO.CALCDEPENDENCY) and, when a PBIP project is loaded, the report files/visuals that reference it. Run before renaming or deleting. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Power BI MCP Server MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the Power BI MCP Server MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for impact_analysis: 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 Power BI MCP Server. Nothing to install.
impact_analysis 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 impact_analysis 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 impact_analysis. 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.
impact_analysis is provided by the Power BI MCP Server MCP server (sulaiman013/powerbi-mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.