search_places

THE RISK

Low Risk

Why search_places needs a policy

Search operations are inherently read-only—they retrieve or query data without creating, modifying, or deleting anything. The empty description limits confidence slightly, but the semantic meaning of 'search' combined with the sibling tool context (AWS, IAM/audit operations) suggests this is a data retrieval function. Severity is low as search tools have minimal blast radius when misused by an AI agent.

From the tool's definition Tool name 'search_places' indicates a query/search operation with no destructive capability suggested by the name alone.

Documented attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access search_places gives an agent:

POLICY

How to control search_places

PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway — it sits between your AI agents and AWS, and nothing reaches the server without passing your rules. This is the rule we recommend for search_places:

policy.json

{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "search_places": {}
  }
}

search_places is read-only, so it stays allowed — but everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.

Create a free account and register AWS — nothing to install.
Add this policy — paste it, or build it visually.
Point your MCP client (Claude, Cursor, anything) at your gateway URL.

CAP THIS TOOL →

Free to start. No card required.

EXPLORE

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All 300 AWS tools →

Read tools on other servers

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Go deeper

Roll out MCP under one policy → Per-person scoped tokens, one central policy, and full audit across every server your team connects.
The MCP Attack Database → Documented attack patterns against MCP deployments — and the policies that stop them.
Data exfiltration → How read access becomes an exfiltration channel when chained with untrusted content.
MCP token cost → What connecting this server costs in context-window tokens on every request.
Rate Limiting MCP Tool Calls: A Practical Guide →
MCP Security: Why Prompt Guardrails Aren't Enough →
PolicyLayer vs alternatives → How deterministic, per-call MCP policy compares with gateways, identity layers, and authorisation platforms.

FAQ

Questions about search_places

What does the search_places tool do? +

search_places. It is categorised as a Read tool in the AWS MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.

How do I enforce a policy on search_places? +

Register the AWS MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for search_places: 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 AWS. Nothing to install.

What risk level is search_places? +

search_places is a Read tool with low risk. Read-only tools are generally safe to allow by default.

Can I rate-limit search_places? +

Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the search_places 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.

How do I block search_places completely? +

Set action: deny in the PolicyLayer policy for search_places. 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.

What MCP server provides search_places? +

search_places is provided by the AWS MCP server (@awslabs/mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.

Enforce policy on every AWS tool call.

Start from AWS, add the rest of your stack, and see everything your agents can call. Then put policy on all of it.

CHECK YOUR STACK →