An MCP server can expose tools that read information and others that change it. On a supported Read and write connection, you can configure each writable MCP tool separately. These settings apply to that MCP connection, not to every Hands Plugin.
Important: on a new Read and write connection, writable tools may initially be set to Automatic. Review those rules before letting the server make real changes.
Choose a rule for a tool
- Open the Hands Console, select your Hand, and go to Integrations → Connectors.
- Open the connected MCP server’s Settings.
- Review the access and discovered tools under Capabilities, then switch to Action rules.
- Choose Block, Ask or Automatic for one or more non-read tools. Each selection remains local until you apply the draft.
- Review the message showing how many changes are ready. Discard removes all unsaved choices in this draft.
- Select Update my Hand once to save the complete set for this connection.
- Reopen the settings and confirm the current modes before relying on them.
| Mode | What happens |
|---|---|
| Block | Hands refuses calls to that MCP tool. |
| Ask | Every execution requires approval of the specific proposed action. Without an approved request, the action does not run. |
| Automatic | The tool may run without a separate Hands approval if the connection access and other safety controls permit it. |
Automatic is useful for actions you intentionally delegate. For sending, deleting, or changing important data, Ask or Block usually gives you more control.
Apply or recover a group of changes
You can stage several tool-mode changes before saving. Hands does not write the MCP settings while you are still choosing. Update my Hand submits the complete set for that connection in one save; it does not report individual tools as separately saved.
If you close Settings with a draft, choose one of these actions:
- Apply and close: save the full set, then close only after Hands confirms it.
- Discard: remove the local draft and close without applying it.
- Stay: return to the draft and keep editing.
If the tool list or connection changes while the draft is open, Hands asks you to discard the draft and review the latest tools. Recreate the choices from the current list rather than applying an older draft.
A save error does not always prove that the previous settings were restored. The complete set may still be awaiting confirmation from the Hand. Keep the draft, refresh or reopen the connection, and inspect the current modes before retrying or making a different set of changes. Do not test the result by running a risky write action.
When the mode selector is missing
- Read-only connection: writable tools stay blocked. Read tools follow the connection’s read access and do not have separate per-tool modes.
- No writable tools: there are no tool-action rules to edit.
- Paused or reauthorization needed: restore the connection before updating its modes.
- Older Hand runtime: tool approval controls may require a supported runtime update.
- Configuration changed while editing: discard the unsaved draft, review the latest tools, and apply a fresh choice.
Your AI client may request its own confirmation as well. Conversely, selecting Automatic never overrides a provider permission, the MCP connection’s overall access, or the Hand’s global access limits.
To stop a server entirely, use Pause or Disconnect in its Settings. For broader, Hands Plugin action permissions, see Control what your Hand may do. After changing a rule, review the status rather than testing it with a risky write operation.