Medium Risk

apply_count

apply_count

How to control apply_count ↓

AI agents use apply_count to create or update resources in Office Editor — usually the action step of a workflow, after the agent has gathered context. Every call changes real data in your Office Editor environment.

Medium Risk

The tool operates within an Office document editing context where modifications are reversible. Without a description, confidence is moderate, but the naming pattern and server purpose suggest data modification rather than deletion or financial impact. Classified as Write rather than Execute because it appears to apply a pre-defined operation (COUNT) rather than execute arbitrary code.

From the tool's definition Tool name 'apply_count' with empty description. Based on sibling tools on the office-editor-mcp server (add_animation, add_conditional_formatting, add_data_bar, add_header_footer, etc.), this server modifies Office documents.

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

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

policy.json
{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "apply_count": {
      "limits": [
        {
          "counter": "apply_count_rate",
          "window": "minute",
          "max": 30,
          "scope": "grant"
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}

apply_count stays usable, but capped — an agent stuck in a loop can't make hundreds of changes a minute. Everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.

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

What does the apply_count tool do? +

apply_count. It is categorised as a Write tool in the Office Editor MCP Server, which means it can create or modify data. Consider rate limits to prevent runaway writes.

How do I enforce a policy on apply_count? +

Register the Office Editor MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for apply_count: 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 Office Editor. Nothing to install.

What risk level is apply_count? +

apply_count is a Write tool with medium risk. Write tools should be rate-limited to prevent accidental bulk modifications.

Can I rate-limit apply_count? +

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

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

apply_count is provided by the Office Editor MCP server (thewdy/office-editor-mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.

Enforce policy on every Office Editor tool call.

Deterministic rules across all 88 Office Editor tools. Per-identity grants. Full audit log. Live in minutes. Nothing to install.

Free to start. No card required.

88 Office Editor tools catalogued and risk-classified — across an index of 42,500+ MCP servers.

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