AI agents call ps to retrieve information from IT Tools MCP Server without modifying anything — typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
The ps tool retrieves and displays information about currently running processes. This is a standard read operation with no side effects. It does not execute code, modify system state, delete processes, or commit financial transactions. The blast radius is minimal as it only exposes process information already visible to the user on their own system. Severity is low because this is passive data retrieval.
From the tool's definition Tool description states 'List running processes' - a read-only operation that queries system state without modification, deletion, or execution of new processes.
Documented attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access ps gives an agent:
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 ps:
{
"version": "1",
"default": "deny",
"tools": {
"ps": {}
}
}ps is read-only, so it stays allowed — but everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.
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List running processes. It is categorised as a Read tool in the IT Tools MCP Server MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the IT Tools MCP Server MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for ps: 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.
ps 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 ps 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 ps. 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.
ps 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.
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.
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119 IT Tools MCP Server tools catalogued and risk-classified — across an index of 43,000+ MCP servers.