preflight_document

THE RISK

Low Risk

Why preflight_document needs a policy

Preflight is a standard pre-press check that reads document properties and reports issues (missing fonts, broken links, color errors, etc.). It does not create, modify, delete, or execute anything — it is purely a diagnostic/read operation.

From the tool's definition 'Run preflight on the document' — preflight is a validation/inspection operation that checks a document for errors or issues without modifying it.

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

POLICY

How to control preflight_document

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

policy.json

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

preflight_document 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 InDesign 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 InDesign MCP Server tools

Destructive cleanup_document Clean up document (remove unused elements) Destructive clear_session Clear all session data including page dimensions and document information Destructive delete_all_page_layout_snapshots Delete all layout snapshots for a page Destructive delete_master_spread Delete a master spread Destructive delete_page Delete a page from the document Destructive delete_page_item Delete a page item Destructive delete_page_layout_snapshot Delete the layout snapshot for a page Destructive delete_spread Delete a spread

All 135 InDesign MCP Server tools →

Read tools on other servers

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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 preflight_document

What does the preflight_document tool do? +

Run preflight on the document. It is categorised as a Read tool in the InDesign MCP Server MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.

How do I enforce a policy on preflight_document? +

Register the InDesign MCP Server MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for preflight_document: 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 InDesign MCP Server. Nothing to install.

What risk level is preflight_document? +

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

Can I rate-limit preflight_document? +

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

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

preflight_document is provided by the InDesign MCP Server MCP server (zachshallbetter/indesign-mcp-server). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.

Enforce policy on every InDesign MCP Server tool call.

Start from InDesign 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 →