acquire_task_lease
Atomically acquire a task lease with TTL for multi-agent coordination.
This record as markdown: /tools/todos/acquire-task-lease.md
What acquire_task_lease does on Todos
AI agents use acquire_task_lease to create or update resources in Todos, usually the action step of a workflow, after the agent has gathered context. Every call changes real data in your Todos environment.
Why acquire_task_lease is rated Medium
Acquiring a lease creates/modifies a reservation on a task resource with a time-to-live. This is a Write operation — it creates a lease record that can expire or be released (reversible). It does not execute code, delete data, or involve money. Severity is medium because misuse could block other agents from accessing tasks in a multi-agent coordination context.
From the tool's definition Atomically acquire a task lease with TTL for multi-agent coordination
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
The rule that runs acquire_task_lease safely
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway: it sits between your AI agents and Todos, and checks every tool call against a rule you set before the call runs. Nothing changes on the server itself. For acquire_task_lease, this is the rule to start with:
acquire_task_lease 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.
The button opens the PolicyLayer dashboard: create your workspace, connect Todos, apply this rule, and every acquire_task_lease call is checked against it from then on.
Questions about acquire_task_lease
Atomically acquire a task lease with TTL for multi-agent coordination. It is categorised as a Write tool in the Todos MCP Server, which means it can create or modify data. Consider rate limits to prevent runaway writes.
Register the Todos MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for acquire_task_lease: 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 Todos. Nothing to install.
acquire_task_lease is a Write tool with medium risk. Write tools should be rate-limited to prevent accidental bulk modifications.
Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the acquire_task_lease 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 acquire_task_lease. 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.
acquire_task_lease is provided by the Todos MCP server (@hasna/todos). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
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