Medium Risk

apply_countif

apply_countif

How to control apply_countif ↓

AI agents use apply_countif 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

COUNTIF is a spreadsheet formula application that creates or modifies cell contents and formulas in Excel worksheets. This is reversible (formulas can be edited or deleted), making it Write rather than Destructive or Execute. The empty description reduces confidence slightly, but the tool name and server context strongly indicate formula application to spreadsheet data.

From the tool's definition Tool name 'apply_countif' suggests applying a COUNTIF formula to Excel data. Sibling tools like 'add_conditional_formatting', 'add_data_bar', and 'add_worksheet' confirm this server edits Office documents.

Documented attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access apply_countif 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_countif:

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

apply_countif 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_countif tool do? +

apply_countif. 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_countif? +

Register the Office Editor MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for apply_countif: 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_countif? +

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

Can I rate-limit apply_countif? +

Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the apply_countif 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_countif completely? +

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

apply_countif 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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