hotkey · Helix Pilot MCP: Risk & Policy

WHAT IT DOES

What hotkey does on Helix Pilot

AI agents use hotkey to create or update resources in Helix Pilot — usually the action step of a workflow, after the agent has gathered context. Every call changes real data in your Helix Pilot environment.

WHY IT NEEDS A POLICY

Why hotkey needs a policy

An AI agent can call hotkey faster than any human can review — one bad instruction and it creates or modifies resources in Helix Pilot by the hundred, each call as confident as the last.

Attacks that exploit this kind of access

Recommended rule Ready

Verdict

hotkey Rate-limited

hotkey 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.

View as policy code

policy.json

{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "hotkey": {
      "limits": [
        {
          "counter": "hotkey_rate",
          "window": "minute",
          "max": 30,
          "scope": "grant"
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}

LIMIT THIS TOOL →

Instant setup, no code required.

PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway: every tool call is checked against your rule before it reaches Helix Pilot, so you can run agents against it safely.

FAQ

Questions about hotkey

What does the hotkey tool do? +

Send a keyboard shortcut. It is categorised as a Write tool in the Helix Pilot MCP Server, which means it can create or modify data. Consider rate limits to prevent runaway writes.

How do I enforce a policy on hotkey? +

Register the Helix Pilot MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for hotkey: 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 Helix Pilot. Nothing to install.

What risk level is hotkey? +

hotkey is a Write tool with medium risk. Write tools should be rate-limited to prevent accidental bulk modifications.

Can I rate-limit hotkey? +

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

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

hotkey is provided by the Helix Pilot MCP server (tsunamayo7/helix-pilot). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.