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Filter MCP tools to control which capabilities agents have access to, improving security and reducing complexity.

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Quick Start

1

Whitelist Specific Tools

Only allow safe file operations:
from praisonaiagents import Agent
from praisonaiagents.mcp import MCP

agent = Agent(
    name="safe-fs",
    instructions="Read files when asked",
    tools=MCP(
        "npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem /tmp",
        allowed_tools=["read_file", "list_directory"],
    ),
)
agent.start("What files are in /tmp?")
2

Blacklist Dangerous Tools

Block destructive operations:
from praisonaiagents import Agent
from praisonaiagents.mcp import MCP

agent = Agent(
    name="no-destructive",
    instructions="Help with GitHub tasks safely",
    tools=MCP(
        "npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-github",
        disabled_tools=["delete_repository", "delete_issue"],
    ),
)

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How It Works

Precedence Rule: If both allowed_tools and disabled_tools are specified, allowed_tools wins (include takes precedence over exclude).

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Configuration Options

OptionTypeDefaultDescription
allowed_toolsList[str]NoneWhitelist — only these tools exposed to the agent (None = all tools)
disabled_toolsList[str]NoneBlacklist — these tools filtered out (None = no exclusions)

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Common Patterns

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Safety-First Agent

Restrict to read-only operations: 
from praisonaiagents import Agent
from praisonaiagents.mcp import MCP

# File system - read only
safe_agent = Agent(
    name="reader",
    instructions="Help users understand file contents",
    tools=MCP(
        "npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem /workspace",
        allowed_tools=["read_file", "list_directory"]
    )
)

​
Remove Dangerous Operations

Block specific risky tools: 
from praisonaiagents import Agent
from praisonaiagents.mcp import MCP

# GitHub without destructive actions
github_agent = Agent(
    name="github-safe",
    instructions="Help with GitHub tasks safely",
    tools=MCP(
        "npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-github", 
        disabled_tools=[
            "delete_repository",
            "delete_issue", 
            "delete_pull_request",
            "force_push"
        ]
    )
)

​
Multi-Server Filtering

Apply different filters to different servers: 
from praisonaiagents import Agent
from praisonaiagents.mcp import MCP

# Combine filtered servers
agent = Agent(
    name="secure-developer",
    tools=[
        # Filesystem - read only
        MCP(
            "npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem .",
            allowed_tools=["read_file", "list_directory"]
        ),
        # GitHub - no deletions
        MCP(
            "npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-github",
            disabled_tools=["delete_repository", "delete_issue"]
        )
    ]
)

​
When to Use Which Filter

Use allowed_tools when:
  • Security is critical
  • You know exactly which tools you need
  • Working with untrusted or powerful servers
Use disabled_tools when:
  • You want most tools but need to block a few
  • Rapid prototyping with tool discovery
  • Working with generally safe servers

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Best Practices

For security-sensitive applications, use allowed_tools to explicitly control capabilities. It’s safer to add tools as needed than to discover dangerous ones later.
When using filters, comment why specific tools are allowed or blocked. This helps with maintenance and team understanding.
Before deploying, verify that your filtered tool set provides the capabilities your agent needs. Use praisonai mcp test to inspect available tools.
Some tools might depend on others. When whitelisting, ensure you include all necessary tools for complete workflows.

Load MCP Tools

Wire configured MCP servers into agents with one line

MCP Client Protocol

Protocol interface for MCP client implementations