vcs_show
Inspect a commit or a file at a revision. With no path: commit metadata (hash, author, date, subject, body) plus its patch (tail-truncated). With a path: the file's full content at that ref. ref defaults to HEAD and accepts any revision (branch, tag, sha, HEAD~2). Read-only.
This record as markdown: /tools/breakpoint-mcp/vcs-show.md
What vcs_show does on Breakpoint
AI agents call vcs_show to retrieve information from Breakpoint without modifying anything. It is typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
ref | string | — | Revision to show (default HEAD): branch, tag, sha, or HEAD~n |
path | string | — | If set, return this file's content at <ref> instead of the commit |
Parameters from the server's own tool schema.
Why vcs_show is rated Low
This tool performs only retrieval and inspection operations (viewing commit history, file content at specific revisions). There are no side effects, modifications, deletions, or external operations triggered. The explicit 'Read-only' designation and lack of mutation capabilities clearly classify this as a Read operation with minimal security risk.
From the tool's definition Tool description explicitly states 'Read-only' and 'Inspect a commit or a file at a revision'. It retrieves commit metadata, patches, and file content without modifying any data.
Risk signalsAccepts file system path (path)
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
The rule that runs vcs_show safely
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway: it sits between your AI agents and Breakpoint, and checks every tool call against a rule you set before the call runs. Nothing changes on the server itself. For vcs_show, this is the rule to start with:
vcs_show 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 Breakpoint, apply this rule, and every vcs_show call is checked against it from then on.
Questions about vcs_show
Inspect a commit or a file at a revision. With no path: commit metadata (hash, author, date, subject, body) plus its patch (tail-truncated). With a path: the file's full content at that ref. ref defaults to HEAD and accepts any revision (branch, tag, sha, HEAD~2). Read-only. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Breakpoint MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
vcs_show accepts 2 parameters: ref, path. The full parameter table on this page comes from the server's own tool schema.
Register the Breakpoint MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for vcs_show: 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 Breakpoint. Nothing to install.
vcs_show 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 vcs_show 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 vcs_show. 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.
vcs_show is provided by the Breakpoint MCP server (breakpoint-mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
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