get_group

THE RISK

Low Risk

Why get_group needs a policy

This tool retrieves and queries data about a light group's state and properties without modifying, deleting, or executing any external operations. It is a straightforward read operation that poses minimal security risk, as it only exposes existing light group information.

From the tool's definition Tool name 'get_group' and description 'Get information about a specific light group' indicate a retrieval operation with no side effects.

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

POLICY

How to control get_group

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

policy.json

{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "get_group": {}
  }
}

get_group is read-only, so it stays allowed — but everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.

Create a free account and register Philips Hue MCP Server — nothing to install.
Add this policy — paste it, or build it visually.
Point your MCP client (Claude, Cursor, anything) at your gateway URL.

CAP THIS TOOL →

Free to start. No card required.

EXPLORE

Related tools and policies

More Philips Hue MCP Server tools

Execute alert_light Make a light flash briefly to identify it. Execute set_scene Apply a scene to a group. Execute turn_on_group Turn on all lights in a specific group. Write create_group Create a new group of lights. Write quick_scene quick_scene Write set_brightness Set the brightness of a light. Write set_color_preset Apply a color preset to a light. Write set_color_rgb Set light color using RGB values.

All 23 Philips Hue MCP Server tools →

Read tools on other servers

M-Team MCP Server get_torrent_detail YouTube MCP Server search_channel Android Forensics ADB MCP Server parse_browser_history 0xarchive web3_challenge

Go deeper

The MCP Attack Database → Documented attack patterns against MCP deployments — and the policies that stop them.
Data exfiltration → How read access becomes an exfiltration channel when chained with untrusted content.
MCP token cost → What connecting this server costs in context-window tokens on every request.
Rate Limiting MCP Tool Calls: A Practical Guide →
MCP Security: Why Prompt Guardrails Aren't Enough →

FAQ

Questions about get_group

What does the get_group tool do? +

Get information about a specific light group. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Philips Hue MCP Server MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.

How do I enforce a policy on get_group? +

Register the Philips Hue MCP Server MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for get_group: 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 Philips Hue MCP Server. Nothing to install.

What risk level is get_group? +

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

Can I rate-limit get_group? +

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

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

get_group is provided by the Philips Hue MCP Server MCP server (thomasrohde/hue-mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.

Enforce policy on every Philips Hue MCP Server tool call.

Start from Philips Hue MCP Server, add the rest of your stack, and see everything your agents can call. Then put policy on all of it.

CHECK YOUR STACK →