control_relationships

THE RISK

Low Risk

Why control_relationships needs a policy

This tool retrieves and analyzes existing control relationship data. The verb 'analyze' combined with the focus on examining dependencies suggests read-only querying of control framework information. No evidence of side effects, data modification, code execution, or destructive operations.

From the tool's definition Tool name 'control_relationships' and description 'Analyze relationships and dependencies between controls' indicate data analysis and querying of control metadata without modification, deletion, or external execution.

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

POLICY

How to control control_relationships

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

policy.json

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

control_relationships 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 NIST 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.

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EXPLORE

Related tools and policies

More NIST MCP Server tools

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All 44 NIST MCP Server tools →

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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 control_relationships

What does the control_relationships tool do? +

Analyze relationships and dependencies between controls. It is categorised as a Read tool in the NIST MCP Server MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.

How do I enforce a policy on control_relationships? +

Register the NIST MCP Server MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for control_relationships: 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 NIST MCP Server. Nothing to install.

What risk level is control_relationships? +

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

Can I rate-limit control_relationships? +

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

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

control_relationships is provided by the NIST MCP Server MCP server (tnicholson/nist-mcp-server). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.

Enforce policy on every NIST MCP Server tool call.

Start from NIST 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 →