Hooks

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Overview

Hooks provide a middleware layer for intercepting and processing MCP requests and responses. They enable you to add custom logic, security rules, or transformations without modifying the underlying MCP servers.

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How Hooks Work

AI Assistant → [Request Hook] → MCP Server
                                     ↓
AI Assistant ← [Response Hook] ← MCP Server

Each hook in the chain can:

• Inspect the request/response data
• Modify parameters or results
• Block requests based on custom rules
• Enrich data with additional context

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Common Hook Patterns

• Security Filtering: Validate requests against security policies
• Rate Limiting: Control request frequency and volume
• Data Transformation: Modify request/response formats
• Audit Logging: Record all tool interactions
• Content Filtering: Remove or redact sensitive information

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In Civic Labs

Hooks power several of our security tools:

• The Pass-through Proxy provides the core hook infrastructure
• The Guardrail Proxy implements security rules as hooks
• Bodyguard can be deployed as a hook for threat detection

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Learn More

• Pass-through Proxy - The middleware system that enables hooks
• Guardrail Proxy - Security implementation using hooks