Block and wait for a message to arrive for this terminal. Returns as soon as a message is received or timeout is reached.
AI agents call watch_messages to retrieve information from Mcp Terminal Share without modifying anything — typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
This tool is purely passive observation of inter-process messages on the local filesystem. It does not create, modify, delete, or execute anything; it only waits for and retrieves data that another terminal has sent. This is functionally equivalent to a polling/subscription read operation.
From the tool's definition Tool description states it 'Block and wait for a message to arrive' and 'Returns as soon as a message is received' — it passively retrieves/reads messages from a queue without modifying, deleting, or executing code.
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
Block and wait for a message to arrive for this terminal. Returns as soon as a message is received or timeout is reached. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Mcp Terminal Share MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the Mcp Terminal Share MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for watch_messages: 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 Mcp Terminal Share. Nothing to install.
watch_messages 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 watch_messages 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 watch_messages. 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.
watch_messages is provided by the Mcp Terminal Share MCP server (wu-yu-pei/mcp-terminal-share). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
Every MCP server has a record like this.
Type a name, get the same breakdown: verified identity, auth posture, risk grade, capabilities, recommended policy.
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