Find real-world code examples from over a million public GitHub repositories to help answer programming questions. **IMPORTANT: This tool searches for literal code patterns (like grep), not keywords. Search for actual code that would appear in files:** - ✅ Good: 'useState(', 'import React from',...
Accepts file system path (path); Accepts freeform code/query input (query); Single-target operation
Part of the GitHub Code Search MCP server. Enforce policies on this tool with Intercept, the open-source MCP proxy.
AI agents call searchGitHub to retrieve information from GitHub Code Search without modifying any data. This is common in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows where the agent needs context before taking action. Because read operations don't change state, they are generally safe to allow without restrictions -- but you may still want rate limits to control API costs.
Even though searchGitHub only reads data, uncontrolled read access can leak sensitive information or rack up API costs. An agent caught in a retry loop could make thousands of calls per minute. A rate limit gives you a safety net without blocking legitimate use.
Read-only tools are safe to allow by default. No rate limit needed unless you want to control costs.
tools:
searchGitHub:
rules:
- action: allowSee the full GitHub Code Search policy for all 1 tools.
Agents calling read-class tools like searchGitHub have been implicated in these attack patterns. Read the full case and prevention policy for each:
Other tools in the Read risk category across the catalogue. The same policy patterns (rate-limit, allow) apply to each.
Find real-world code examples from over a million public GitHub repositories to help answer programming questions. **IMPORTANT: This tool searches for literal code patterns (like grep), not keywords. Search for actual code that would appear in files:** - ✅ Good: 'useState(', 'import React from', 'async function', '(?s)try {.*await' - ❌ Bad: 'react tutorial', 'best practices', 'how to use' **When to use this tool:** - When implementing unfamiliar APIs or libraries and need to see real usage patterns - When unsure about correct syntax, parameters, or configuration for a specific library - When looking for production-ready examples and best practices for implementation - When needing to understand how different libraries or frameworks work together **Perfect for questions like:** - "How do developers handle authentication in Next.js apps?" → Search: 'getServerSession' with language=['TypeScript', 'TSX'] - "What are common React error boundary patterns?" → Search: 'ErrorBoundary' with language=['TSX'] - "Show me real useEffect cleanup examples" → Search: '(?s)useEffect\(\(\) => {.*removeEventListener' with useRegexp=true - "How do developers handle CORS in Flask applications?" → Search: 'CORS(' with matchCase=true and language=['Python'] Use regular expressions with useRegexp=true for flexible patterns like '(?s)useState\(.*loading' to find useState hooks with loading-related variables. Prefix the pattern with '(?s)' to match across multiple lines. Filter by language, repository, or file path to narrow results.. It is categorised as a Read tool in the GitHub Code Search MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Add a rule in your Intercept YAML policy under the tools section for searchGitHub. You can allow, deny, rate-limit, or validate arguments. Then run Intercept as a proxy in front of the GitHub Code Search MCP server.
searchGitHub is a Read tool with low risk. Read-only tools are generally safe to allow by default.
Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the searchGitHub rule in your Intercept policy. For example, setting max: 10 and window: 60 limits the tool to 10 calls per minute. Rate limits are tracked per agent session and reset automatically.
Set action: deny in the Intercept policy for searchGitHub. The AI agent will receive a policy violation error and cannot call the tool. You can also include a reason field to explain why the tool is blocked.
searchGitHub is provided by the GitHub Code Search MCP server (arjunkmrm/grep). Intercept sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
Open source. One binary. Zero dependencies.
npx -y @policylayer/intercept