Medium Risk

outlook_create_draft

Create an email draft without sending

How to control outlook_create_draft ↓

What outlook_create_draft does on Outlook

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

Medium Risk

Why outlook_create_draft needs a policy

Creating a draft modifies the user's mailbox by adding a new unsent message, which is a Write operation. It is not Execute (no code/commands triggered), Destructive (drafts are easily deleted), or Financial. Severity is medium because a compromised agent could craft malicious emails, phishing content, or fraudulent messages for later review, though the draft itself has not yet reached recipients.

From the tool's definition Tool name 'outlook_create_draft' and description 'Create an email draft without sending' indicate creation of email content without transmission. This is a reversible write operation—drafts can be discarded or edited before sending.

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

How to control outlook_create_draft

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

policy.json
{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "outlook_create_draft": {
      "limits": [
        {
          "counter": "outlook_create_draft_rate",
          "window": "minute",
          "max": 30,
          "scope": "grant"
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}

outlook_create_draft 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.

  1. Create a free account and register Outlook — nothing to install.
  2. Add this policy — paste it, or build it visually.
  3. Point your MCP client (Claude, Cursor, anything) at your gateway URL.
LIMIT THIS TOOL →

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Related tools and policies

Go deeper

Questions about outlook_create_draft

What does the outlook_create_draft tool do? +

Create an email draft without sending. It is categorised as a Write tool in the Outlook MCP Server, which means it can create or modify data. Consider rate limits to prevent runaway writes.

How do I enforce a policy on outlook_create_draft? +

Register the Outlook MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for outlook_create_draft: 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 Outlook. Nothing to install.

What risk level is outlook_create_draft? +

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

Can I rate-limit outlook_create_draft? +

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

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

outlook_create_draft is provided by the Outlook MCP server (xenoxilus/outlook-mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.

Enforce policy on every Outlook tool call.

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

Free to start. No card required.

43 Outlook tools catalogued and risk-classified — across an index of 43,000+ MCP servers.

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