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// How-to · Let agents run safely

How to check an MCP server is genuine and safe before installing

An MCP server runs with your permissions: you are installing a program the model can call. Look-alike package names, malicious updates and instructions hidden in tool descriptions (tool poisoning) have all happened.

verified 2026-10-101 official sources

Scenario: Let agents run safely →

Symptoms

  • You are not sure an npm/PyPI package is the official one
  • A tool description contains instructions unrelated to its function

Common causes

  • Install commands were copied from the web without checking the source
  • latest is used, so unreviewed updates arrive automatically

How to fix

  1. Check the package name and publisher against the official repository or the official MCP Registry, and make sure the install command matches
  2. Pin versions and read release notes and diffs before upgrading
  3. After installing, list all tools and descriptions in Inspector and look for requests to read extra files or send data out
  4. Scan dependencies with trivy and code with semgrep; run the server in a container when possible
  5. Give the server only the tokens and directories the task needs

Official references

Compiled from official documentation and public discussions on 2026-10-10; not yet reproduced in our own environment. Follow the official docs if they differ.

Data updated: Problems & errors