search_issues

Search issues and pull requests (GitHub search syntax).

SERVERGitHub SOURCE@abhishekmcp/github

Low RISK CLASS

Category Read

Parameters 21 required

Recommended Allowedsee the rule below

Registry record Grade D, identity unverified Pull the record →

This record as markdown: /tools/io-github-abhishekkumar2021-github/search-issues.md

WHAT IT DOES

What search_issues does on GitHub

AI agents call search_issues 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
`limit`	integer	—
`query`	string	Yes

Parameters from the server's own tool schema.

RISK

Why search_issues is rated Low

This tool retrieves and filters existing issues and pull requests based on search criteria. It performs no writes, deletions, or executions. The blast radius of misuse is minimal—an agent could retrieve sensitive issue data if access controls allow, but cannot modify or delete anything. Classified as Read with low severity.

From the tool's definition Tool name 'search_issues' and description 'Search issues and pull requests' indicate a query/retrieval operation with no side effects. GitHub search syntax is used for filtering, not modification.

Attacks that exploit this kind of access

RECOMMENDED RULE

The rule that runs search_issues 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_issues, this is the rule to start with:

search_issues Allowed

search_issues is read-only, so it stays allowed. Everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.

View as policy code

policy.json

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

ALLOW ONLY THIS TOOL → Instant setup, no code required.

The button opens the PolicyLayer dashboard: create your workspace, connect GitHub, apply this rule, and every search_issues call is checked against it from then on.

FAQ

Questions about search_issues

What does the search_issues tool do? +

Search issues and pull requests (GitHub search syntax). It is categorised as a Read tool in the GitHub MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.

What parameters does search_issues accept? +

search_issues accepts 2 parameters: limit, query. Required: query. The full parameter table on this page comes from the server's own tool schema.

How do I enforce a policy on search_issues? +

Register the GitHub MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for search_issues: 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.

What risk level is search_issues? +

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

Can I rate-limit search_issues? +

Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the search_issues 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_issues completely? +

Set action: deny in the PolicyLayer policy for search_issues. 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_issues? +

search_issues is provided by the GitHub MCP server (@abhishekmcp/github). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.

KEEP EXPLORING

More on GitHub, and thousands of servers like it.

This server

All 16 GitHub tools →

Across the catalogue

search_torrents on M-Team MCP Server →aiva_search_customers on AIVA MCP Server →search_channel on YouTube MCP Server →search_circuits on 0gzk → The MCP Attack Database →

Guides

Roll out MCP under one policy →Data exfiltration →MCP token cost →