terminal_capture · Terminal Control MCP: Risk & Policy

WHAT IT DOES

What terminal_capture does on Terminal Control MCP

AI agents call terminal_capture to retrieve information from Terminal Control MCP without modifying anything — typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.

WHY IT NEEDS A POLICY

Why terminal_capture needs a policy

This tool reads/captures the current visual state of the terminal display and returns it as a PNG image. It does not modify any state, execute commands, or cause side effects — it only observes and retrieves the current screen output.

From the tool's definition Capture terminal screen as PNG screenshot

Attacks that exploit this kind of access

Questions about terminal_capture

What does the terminal_capture tool do? +

Capture terminal screen as PNG screenshot. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Terminal Control MCP MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.

How do I enforce a policy on terminal_capture? +

Register the Terminal Control MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for terminal_capture: 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 Terminal Control MCP. Nothing to install.

What risk level is terminal_capture? +

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

Can I rate-limit terminal_capture? +

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

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

terminal_capture is provided by the Terminal Control MCP server (taskhub-sh/terminal-driver-mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.