explain_change
Explain what changed in a file or function recently by cross-referencing
This record as markdown: /tools/ashlesh-t-cognirepo/explain-change.md
What explain_change does on CogniRepo
AI agents call explain_change to retrieve information from CogniRepo without modifying anything. It is typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
Why explain_change is rated Low
This tool retrieves and displays change history information by analyzing and cross-referencing existing data. It is purely informational with no side effects, fitting the Read category. The severity is low because accessing change/history information poses minimal risk even if misused by an AI agent—it cannot modify, execute, or delete anything.
From the tool's definition Tool name 'explain_change' and description 'cross-referencing' to show what changed indicates a query/retrieval function that examines historical data about file or function modifications. No execution, modification, or destructive operations are implied.
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
The rule that runs explain_change safely
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway: it sits between your AI agents and CogniRepo, and checks every tool call against a rule you set before the call runs. Nothing changes on the server itself. For explain_change, this is the rule to start with:
explain_change is read-only, so it stays allowed. Everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.
The button opens the PolicyLayer dashboard: create your workspace, connect CogniRepo, apply this rule, and every explain_change call is checked against it from then on.
Questions about explain_change
Explain what changed in a file or function recently by cross-referencing. It is categorised as a Read tool in the CogniRepo MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the CogniRepo MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for explain_change: allow, deny, rate-limit, or require approval. Point your MCP client at the PolicyLayer proxy URL and the rule is enforced on every call, before it reaches CogniRepo. Nothing to install.
explain_change 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 explain_change rule in your PolicyLayer 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 PolicyLayer policy for explain_change. 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.
explain_change is provided by the CogniRepo MCP server (pypi:cognirepo). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
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