AI agents call list_chats to retrieve information from Open WebUI MCP Server without modifying anything — typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
This tool queries and returns existing chat data without modifying, executing, or deleting anything. It is a straightforward read operation that retrieves information scoped to the user's own chats. The low severity reflects minimal blast radius if misused by an AI agent — at worst, it reveals chat metadata the user already has access to.
From the tool's definition Tool name is 'list_chats' and description states 'List your chats' — a retrieval operation with no side effects.
Documented attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access list_chats 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 list_chats:
{
"version": "1",
"default": "deny",
"tools": {
"list_chats": {}
}
}list_chats is read-only, so it stays allowed — but everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.
Free to start. No card required.
List your chats. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Open WebUI MCP Server MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the Open WebUI MCP Server MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for list_chats: 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.
list_chats is a Read tool with low risk. Read-only tools are generally safe to allow by default.
Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the list_chats 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 list_chats. 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.
list_chats 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.