find_broken_links

THE RISK

Low Risk

Why find_broken_links needs a policy

This tool performs analysis and validation of existing links in a manuscript—a read-only operation that queries link targets and reports their status. It has no side effects, does not execute code, and does not modify or delete data. The blast radius of misuse is minimal; an agent could only waste resources scanning links or trigger rate-limiting on external link checks, not cause harm to the manuscript or system.

From the tool's definition Tool name 'find_broken_links' and description 'Detect broken internal and external links' indicate a detection/validation operation that retrieves and checks link status without modifying data.

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

POLICY

How to control find_broken_links

PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway — it sits between your AI agents and Claude Writer's Aid MCP, and nothing reaches the server without passing your rules. This is the rule we recommend for find_broken_links:

policy.json

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

find_broken_links 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 Claude Writer's Aid MCP — 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 →

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EXPLORE

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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 find_broken_links

What does the find_broken_links tool do? +

Detect broken internal and external links. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Claude Writer's Aid MCP MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.

How do I enforce a policy on find_broken_links? +

Register the Claude Writer's Aid MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for find_broken_links: 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 Claude Writer's Aid MCP. Nothing to install.

What risk level is find_broken_links? +

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

Can I rate-limit find_broken_links? +

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

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

find_broken_links is provided by the Claude Writer's Aid MCP server (xiaolai/claude-writers-aid-mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.

Enforce policy on every Claude Writer's Aid MCP tool call.

Start from Claude Writer's Aid MCP, add the rest of your stack, and see everything your agents can call. Then put policy on all of it.

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