list_themes

THE RISK

Low Risk

Why list_themes needs a policy

This tool retrieves and displays information about available themes from an external source without modifying, executing, deleting, or creating any data. It is purely informational and poses minimal security risk if misused by an agent.

From the tool's definition Tool name 'list_themes' and description 'List available Hugo themes from the official Hugo themes website' indicate a query/retrieval operation with no side effects.

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

POLICY

How to control list_themes

PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway — it sits between your AI agents and Hugo, and nothing reaches the server without passing your rules. This is the rule we recommend for list_themes:

policy.json

{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "list_themes": {}
  }
}

list_themes is read-only, so it stays allowed — but everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.

Create a free account and register Hugo — nothing to install.
Add this policy — paste it, or build it visually.
Point your MCP client (Claude, Cursor, anything) at your gateway URL.

CAP THIS TOOL →

Free to start. No card required.

EXPLORE

Related tools and policies

More Hugo tools

Execute build_site Build the Hugo site for production Execute deploy_site Deploy a Hugo site to various platforms Execute start_preview Start Hugo local server for preview Execute stop_preview Stop a running Hugo preview server Execute install_theme Install a Hugo theme Write create_post Create a new Hugo post Write create_site Create a new Hugo site Write update_theme Update an installed Hugo theme

All 15 Hugo tools →

Read tools on other servers

M-Team MCP Server get_torrent_detail YouTube MCP Server search_channel Android Forensics ADB MCP Server parse_browser_history 0xarchive web3_challenge

Go deeper

The MCP Attack Database → Documented attack patterns against MCP deployments — and the policies that stop them.
Data exfiltration → How read access becomes an exfiltration channel when chained with untrusted content.
MCP token cost → What connecting this server costs in context-window tokens on every request.
Rate Limiting MCP Tool Calls: A Practical Guide →
MCP Security: Why Prompt Guardrails Aren't Enough →

FAQ

Questions about list_themes

What does the list_themes tool do? +

List available Hugo themes from the official Hugo themes website. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Hugo MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.

How do I enforce a policy on list_themes? +

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

What risk level is list_themes? +

list_themes is a Read tool with low risk. Read-only tools are generally safe to allow by default.

Can I rate-limit list_themes? +

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

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

list_themes is provided by the Hugo MCP server (sunnycloudyang/hugo-mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.

Enforce policy on every Hugo tool call.

Start from Hugo, add the rest of your stack, and see everything your agents can call. Then put policy on all of it.

CHECK YOUR STACK →