search_repositories
Find GitHub repositories by name, description, readme, topics, or other metadata. Perfect for discovering projects, finding examples, or locating specific repositories across GitHub.
This record as markdown: /tools/github/search-repositories.md
What search_repositories does on GitHub
AI agents call search_repositories to retrieve information from GitHub 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
page | number | — | Page number for pagination (min 1) |
sort | string | — | Sort repositories by field, defaults to best match |
order | string | — | Sort order |
query | string | — | Repository search query. Examples: 'machine learning in:name stars:>1000 language:python', 'topic:react', 'user:facebook'. Supports advanced search syntax for p |
perPage | number | — | Results per page for pagination (min 1, max 100) |
minimal_output | boolean | — | Return minimal repository information (default: true). When false, returns full GitHub API repository objects. |
Parameters from the server's own tool schema.
Why search_repositories is rated Low
This tool performs repository discovery and retrieval operations without side effects. It queries public GitHub metadata (names, descriptions, readmes, topics) but does not create, modify, delete, or execute any code. This is a classic read operation with no blast radius if misused by an AI agent—at worst it returns unintended search results.
From the tool's definition Tool description explicitly states it 'Find[s] GitHub repositories by name, description, readme, topics, or other metadata' with no mention of modification, deletion, or execution capabilities.
Risk signalsAccepts freeform code/query input (query)
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
The rule that runs search_repositories safely
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway: it sits between your AI agents and GitHub, and checks every tool call against a rule you set before the call runs. Nothing changes on the server itself. For search_repositories, this is the rule to start with:
search_repositories 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 GitHub, apply this rule, and every search_repositories call is checked against it from then on.
Questions about search_repositories
Find GitHub repositories by name, description, readme, topics, or other metadata. Perfect for discovering projects, finding examples, or locating specific repositories across GitHub. It is categorised as a Read tool in the GitHub MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
search_repositories accepts 6 parameters: page, sort, order, query, perPage, minimal_output. The full parameter table on this page comes from the server's own tool schema.
Register the GitHub MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for search_repositories: 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 GitHub. Nothing to install.
search_repositories 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 search_repositories 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 search_repositories. 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.
search_repositories is provided by the GitHub MCP server (oci:ghcr.io/github/github-mcp-server:1.3.0). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
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