publish_action · Rosbridge MCP Server MCP: Risk & Policy

WHAT IT DOES

What publish_action does on Rosbridge MCP Server

AI agents invoke publish_action to trigger actions in Rosbridge MCP Server. 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 publish_action needs a policy

Sending goals to a ROS action server triggers physical or computational operations on robotic systems (e.g., navigation, manipulation, actuation). This is an Execute-category tool because it initiates external operations whose effects depend on the arguments passed. The blast radius is high because misuse could cause unintended physical robot movements or dangerous actuation in real-world environments.

From the tool's definition 'Send a goal to a ROS action server' — triggers external operations on a ROS-based robotics system via action server goals

Attacks that exploit this kind of access

Recommended rule Ready

Verdict

publish_action Rate-limited

publish_action 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": {
    "publish_action": {
      "limits": [
        {
          "counter": "publish_action_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 Rosbridge MCP Server, so you can run agents against it safely.

FAQ

Questions about publish_action

What does the publish_action tool do? +

Send a goal to a ROS action server. It is categorised as a Execute tool in the Rosbridge MCP Server MCP Server, which means it can trigger actions or run processes. Use rate limits and argument validation.

How do I enforce a policy on publish_action? +

Register the Rosbridge MCP Server MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for publish_action: 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 Rosbridge MCP Server. Nothing to install.

What risk level is publish_action? +

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

Can I rate-limit publish_action? +

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

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

publish_action is provided by the Rosbridge MCP Server MCP server (takanarishimbo/rosbridge-mcp-server). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.