recover_stale_leases
Recover expired/stale task leases and optionally reclaim work for an agent.
This record as markdown: /tools/todos/recover-stale-leases.md
What recover_stale_leases does on Todos
AI agents use recover_stale_leases 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 recover_stale_leases is rated Medium
This tool modifies the state of task leases by recovering expired/stale ones and reassigning them to an agent. This is a reversible write operation that changes ownership/assignment state of tasks rather than deleting data or executing code. The blast radius is medium since misuse could cause tasks to be incorrectly reassigned or duplicate work to occur.
From the tool's definition Recover expired/stale task leases and optionally reclaim work for an agent
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
The rule that runs recover_stale_leases 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 recover_stale_leases, this is the rule to start with:
recover_stale_leases 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 recover_stale_leases call is checked against it from then on.
Questions about recover_stale_leases
Recover expired/stale task leases and optionally reclaim work for an agent. 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 recover_stale_leases: 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.
recover_stale_leases 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 recover_stale_leases 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 recover_stale_leases. 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.
recover_stale_leases 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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