vault-read
Decrypt ciphertext using the content key derived from the active identity for a given tier and epoch. No network access — purely local cryptography. Returns the plaintext, tier, and epoch.
This record as markdown: /tools/dev-forgesworn-bray/vault-read.md
What vault-read does on Nostr Bray
AI agents call vault-read to retrieve information from Nostr Bray without modifying anything. It is typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
Why vault-read is rated Low
This tool decrypts and returns plaintext data without modifying, creating, deleting, or executing external operations. It is a read operation that retrieves decrypted content stored locally. The severity is low because decryption for display purposes carries minimal blast radius unless the decrypted content itself contains sensitive material—but the tool itself performs only retrieval.
From the tool's definition Tool name contains 'read'; description states it 'Decrypt ciphertext' and 'Returns the plaintext' — retrieves data with no side effects.
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
The rule that runs vault-read safely
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway: it sits between your AI agents and Nostr Bray, and checks every tool call against a rule you set before the call runs. Nothing changes on the server itself. For vault-read, this is the rule to start with:
vault-read 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 Nostr Bray, apply this rule, and every vault-read call is checked against it from then on.
Questions about vault-read
Decrypt ciphertext using the content key derived from the active identity for a given tier and epoch. No network access — purely local cryptography. Returns the plaintext, tier, and epoch. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Nostr Bray MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the Nostr Bray MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for vault-read: 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 Nostr Bray. Nothing to install.
vault-read 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 vault-read 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 vault-read. 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.
vault-read is provided by the Nostr Bray MCP server (nostr-bray). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
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