MCP Approval Policy

This page is a copy-ready policy starter for approving MCP servers.

Policy Objective

Control privileged integrations that can read, write, or execute beyond the model's built-in context.

Scope

  • third-party MCP servers
  • internally built MCP servers
  • remote and local hosts

Audience

  • platform owners
  • security reviewers
  • engineering managers

Definitions

  • Tier 1: read-only, repo-local, low-sensitivity
  • Tier 2: write-capable or broader read scope
  • Tier 3: production-adjacent, credentialed, or destructive capability

Mandatory Requirements

  • every MCP server must have a named owner
  • every approval must document read, write, execute, and network capability
  • Tier 2 and Tier 3 servers require explicit approval and expiry
  • prefer read-only pilots
  • review maintainer identity and license
  • document credentials, network destinations, and revocation steps
  • require separate approval for destructive tool calls

Approval Authority

  • Tier 1: team lead or platform owner
  • Tier 2: platform owner plus security review
  • Tier 3: security approval plus manager or platform sign-off

Evidence Required

  • server repository and maintainer
  • license
  • tool list
  • read/write/execute matrix
  • credential path
  • pilot scope
  • rollback and revocation plan

Exception Process

Exceptions must document:

  • business need
  • duration
  • data classification
  • compensating controls

Review Cadence

  • Tier 1: quarterly
  • Tier 2: quarterly or after scope change
  • Tier 3: before each renewal window and after any permission change

Incident Response

  • revoke the server immediately
  • rotate credentials
  • review logs and exposed systems
  • update the approval record with lessons learned

Revocation

  • remove host configuration
  • revoke grants or tokens
  • suspend the upstream app if used

Copy-Ready Policy Template

No MCP server may be used against private or production-adjacent systems without a documented approval record.

Every server must record:
- maintainer
- license
- host
- credentials
- read/write/execute capabilities
- data classification
- pilot scope
- approval expiry
- revocation path

Adoption Checklist

  • risk tier assigned
  • owner named
  • approval record completed
  • expiry date set
  • revocation tested

Verification Note

Policy starter only. Organizations should add compliance, legal, and incident-response requirements as needed.

Sources