List instances of a specific widget placed on portal pages
AI agents call list_widget_instances to retrieve information from ServiceNow-MCP without modifying anything — typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
This is a straightforward data retrieval operation that reads widget configuration or placement information from ServiceNow portal pages. It has no side effects, does not modify state, and presents no blast radius if an AI agent invokes it with any arguments. The worst case is information disclosure of portal widget metadata, which is low severity in most organizational contexts.
From the tool's definition Tool name and description indicate a retrieval operation: 'List instances of a specific widget placed on portal pages' — this queries existing widget data without modifying, deleting, or executing operations.
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
List instances of a specific widget placed on portal pages. It is categorised as a Read tool in the ServiceNow-MCP MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the ServiceNow- MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for list_widget_instances: 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 ServiceNow-MCP. Nothing to install.
list_widget_instances 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 list_widget_instances 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 list_widget_instances. 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.
list_widget_instances is provided by the ServiceNow- MCP server (tedorigawa001/servicenow-mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
Every MCP server has a record like this.
Type a name, get the same breakdown: verified identity, auth posture, risk grade, capabilities, recommended policy.
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