top

THE RISK

Low Risk

Why top needs a policy

The tool reads and displays a snapshot of current system processes, similar to the Unix 'top' command in non-interactive mode. It only retrieves process information without modifying or executing anything. Severity is low as it only exposes system process information, though it could reveal sensitive process names or arguments.

From the tool's definition Display system processes (snapshot)

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

POLICY

How to control top

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 top:

policy.json

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

top 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

More IT Tools MCP Server tools

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All 119 IT Tools MCP Server tools →

Read tools on other servers

M-Team MCP Server get_torrent_detail YouTube MCP Server search_channel Android Forensics ADB MCP Server parse_browser_history 0xarchive web3_challenge

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 top

What does the top tool do? +

Display system processes (snapshot). 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 top? +

Register the IT Tools MCP Server MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for top: 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 top? +

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

Can I rate-limit top? +

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

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

top 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 →