tool lockfile
A record of the exact tool list an agent approved from an MCP server: a hash of every tool's name, description, input schema and annotations, plus one hash over the set. Before each session the agent compares the server's current tools with the lockfile and refuses or asks again when anything moved.
What tool lockfile does not show
It catches a changed tool; it does not judge whether the approved version was safe in the first place.
Where tool lockfile comes up on this site
- How an AI agent should verify a website before acting on itOur guide on checking an MCP server before an agent connects covers tool poisoning , tool shadowing and pinning what you approved in a tool lockfile .
Terms this definition uses
Definitions that name tool lockfile
Related terms in Agents and protocols
How autonomous agents plan, remember, call tools and talk to each other, including MCP and A2A, and where each step can go wrong.
protected-resource metadata · token audience · PKCE · refresh token · default scope request · tool poisoning · MCP rug pull · tool shadowing · MCP preflight · agent manifest · stapled verdict · verdict over DNS · agentic web · preflight · decision receipt · receipt header · action assurance · resolve answer · freshness window · AI agent · Agent loop · Planner · Executor · Agent memory · Working memory · Long-term memory · Episodic memory · Semantic memory · Agent orchestration · Multi-agent system · Agent handoff · Delegation · Tool result · Tool schema · Tool description · Tool selection · Tool permission · Human-in-the-loop · Human-on-the-loop · Approval gate · Agent sandbox · Agent identity · Agent authorization · Agent discovery · Capability negotiation · MCP server · MCP client · MCP host · MCP resource · MCP prompt · MCP tool · MCP transport · JSON-RPC · A2A protocol · A2A client · A2A server · Agent skill · Agent task · Agent artifact · WebMCP · A2A
Questions about tool lockfile
What is tool lockfile?
A record of the exact tool list an agent approved from an MCP server: a hash of every tool's name, description, input schema and annotations, plus one hash over the set. Before each session the agent compares the server's current tools with the lockfile and refuses or asks again when anything moved.
What does tool lockfile not show or guarantee?
It catches a changed tool; it does not judge whether the approved version was safe in the first place.
Which area of the glossary does tool lockfile belong to?
Agents and protocols: How autonomous agents plan, remember, call tools and talk to each other, including MCP and A2A, and where each step can go wrong.
← tool poisoning · MCP rug pull →
See it in the full glossary · 731 terms across 19 areas.