format_phone

THE RISK

Low Risk

Why format_phone needs a policy

The tool takes a phone number as input and parses/formats it. This is a stateless, read-only transformation with no external interactions, data storage, or destructive capabilities. It simply processes text input and returns a formatted result.

From the tool's definition 'Parse and format phone numbers' — this is a pure transformation/parsing operation with no side effects

Documented attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access format_phone gives an agent:

POLICY

How to control format_phone

PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway — it sits between your AI agents and IT Tools MCP Server, and nothing reaches the server without passing your rules. This is the rule we recommend for format_phone:

policy.json

{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "format_phone": {}
  }
}

format_phone is read-only, so it stays allowed — but everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.

Create a free account and register IT Tools MCP Server — nothing to install.
Add this policy — paste it, or build it visually.
Point your MCP client (Claude, Cursor, anything) at your gateway URL.

CAP THIS TOOL →

Free to start. No card required.

EXPLORE

Related tools and policies

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Go deeper

The MCP Attack Database → Documented attack patterns against MCP deployments — and the policies that stop them.
Data exfiltration → How read access becomes an exfiltration channel when chained with untrusted content.
MCP token cost → What connecting this server costs in context-window tokens on every request.
Rate Limiting MCP Tool Calls: A Practical Guide →
MCP Security: Why Prompt Guardrails Aren't Enough →

FAQ

Questions about format_phone

What does the format_phone tool do? +

Parse and format phone numbers. It is categorised as a Read tool in the IT Tools MCP Server MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.

How do I enforce a policy on format_phone? +

Register the IT Tools MCP Server MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for format_phone: 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 IT Tools MCP Server. Nothing to install.

What risk level is format_phone? +

format_phone is a Read tool with low risk. Read-only tools are generally safe to allow by default.

Can I rate-limit format_phone? +

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

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

format_phone is provided by the IT Tools MCP Server MCP server (wrenchpilot/it-tools-mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.

Enforce policy on every IT Tools MCP Server tool call.

Start from IT Tools MCP Server, add the rest of your stack, and see everything your agents can call. Then put policy on all of it.

CHECK YOUR STACK →