AI agents use clone_chat to create or update resources in Open WebUI MCP Server — usually the action step of a workflow, after the agent has gathered context. Every call changes real data in your Open WebUI MCP Server environment.
Cloning a chat creates a new copy of an existing chat resource in the user's account. This is a reversible write operation (the clone can be deleted), not destructive, not financial, and not executing arbitrary code. The blast radius is medium as it could be used to copy potentially sensitive shared chats.
From the tool's definition Clone a shared chat to your account
Documented attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access clone_chat gives an agent:
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway — it sits between your AI agents and Open WebUI MCP Server, and nothing reaches the server without passing your rules. This is the rule we recommend for clone_chat:
{
"version": "1",
"default": "deny",
"tools": {
"clone_chat": {
"limits": [
{
"counter": "clone_chat_rate",
"window": "minute",
"max": 30,
"scope": "grant"
}
]
}
}
}clone_chat 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.
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Clone a shared chat to your account. It is categorised as a Write tool in the Open WebUI MCP Server MCP Server, which means it can create or modify data. Consider rate limits to prevent runaway writes.
Register the Open WebUI MCP Server MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for clone_chat: 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 Open WebUI MCP Server. Nothing to install.
clone_chat 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 clone_chat 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 clone_chat. 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.
clone_chat is provided by the Open WebUI MCP Server MCP server (troylar/open-webui-mcp-server). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
Start from Open WebUI MCP Server, add the rest of your stack, and see everything your agents can call. Then put policy on all of it.
Free to start. No card required.
82 Open WebUI MCP Server tools catalogued and risk-classified — across an index of 43,000+ MCP servers.