Hover the mouse over an element, triggering hover states, tooltips, and dropdown menus. Use when the user wants to reveal hidden content, trigger a CSS :hover effect, or inspect tooltip text. Parameters: - ref: Element reference from snapshot (e.g.,
AI agents invoke pilot_hover to trigger actions in Pilot. 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.
While hovering appears benign, it is an Execute action rather than a passive Read because: (1) it triggers state changes in the browser (hover states, dropdowns), (2) it can execute arbitrary JavaScript hover handlers and CSS transitions defined by the page, and (3) it manipulates the browser's interaction model in ways that depend on the argument (ref).
From the tool's definition Tool description states it 'triggering hover states, tooltips, and dropdown menus' and 'reveal hidden content' — this actively manipulates browser state and triggers external operations (CSS effects, dropdown menus) whose effects depend on the page structure…
Documented attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access pilot_hover gives an agent:
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway — it sits between your AI agents and Pilot, and nothing reaches the server without passing your rules. This is the rule we recommend for pilot_hover:
{
"version": "1",
"default": "deny",
"tools": {
"pilot_hover": {
"limits": [
{
"counter": "pilot_hover_rate",
"window": "minute",
"max": 10,
"scope": "grant"
}
]
}
}
} pilot_hover 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.
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Hover the mouse over an element, triggering hover states, tooltips, and dropdown menus. Use when the user wants to reveal hidden content, trigger a CSS :hover effect, or inspect tooltip text. Parameters: - ref: Element reference from snapshot (e.g.,. It is categorised as a Execute tool in the Pilot MCP Server, which means it can trigger actions or run processes. Use rate limits and argument validation.
Register the Pilot MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for pilot_hover: 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 Pilot. Nothing to install.
pilot_hover is a Execute tool with high risk. Execute tools should be rate-limited and have argument validation enabled.
Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the pilot_hover 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 pilot_hover. 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.
pilot_hover is provided by the Pilot MCP server (tacosyhorchata/pilot). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
Deterministic rules across all 61 Pilot tools. Per-identity grants. Full audit log. Live in minutes. Nothing to install.
Free to start. No card required.
61 Pilot tools catalogued and risk-classified — across an index of 42,500+ MCP servers.