social_search

SERVERMeridian SOURCE@meridianmcp/mcp

Low RISK CLASS

Category Read

Parameters 41 required

Recommended Allowedsee the rule below

Registry record Grade F, identity unverified Pull the record →

This record as markdown: /tools/io-github-ajc3xc-meridian/social-search.md

WHAT IT DOES

What social_search does on Meridian

AI agents call social_search to retrieve information from Meridian 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	—	Max results to return (default 10, max 50).
`query`	string	Yes	Search terms (matches title / story text).
`source`	string	—	Which keyless source to search (default 'hn', the only source today).
`sort_by`	string	—	Sort order (default relevance; 'date' = most recently submitted first).

Parameters from the server's own tool schema.

RISK

Why social_search is rated Low

social_search is a read-only tool that queries public data sources (Hacker News via Algolia API) and returns structured results. It performs no side effects, does not modify any state, and does not execute code or trigger external operations beyond the search query itself. The keyless, public nature of the data and the passive retrieval pattern place this firmly in the Read category with low severity.

From the tool's definition Tool description explicitly states 'Search public social-media / discussion content — a REAL external lookup' and 'Returns {query, count, results:[...]}'.

Attacks that exploit this kind of access

RECOMMENDED RULE

The rule that runs social_search safely

PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway: it sits between your AI agents and Meridian, and checks every tool call against a rule you set before the call runs. Nothing changes on the server itself. For social_search, this is the rule to start with:

social_search Allowed

social_search 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": {
    "social_search": {}
  }
}

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

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

FAQ

Questions about social_search

What does the social_search tool do? +

[SUPPORT] Search public social-media / discussion content — a REAL external lookup (keyless), sibling to paper_search but for social discussion rather than academic papers. Currently one keyless source via the 'source' param: 'hn' (default; Hacker News via the Algolia HN Search API, story submissions only, not raw comments). Returns {query, count, results:[{title, authors, summary, published, url, discussion_url, points, num_comments, hn_id, ...}]}. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Meridian MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.

What parameters does social_search accept? +

social_search accepts 4 parameters: limit, query, source, sort_by. Required: query. The full parameter table on this page comes from the server's own tool schema.

How do I enforce a policy on social_search? +

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

What risk level is social_search? +

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

Can I rate-limit social_search? +

Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the social_search 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 social_search completely? +

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

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

KEEP EXPLORING

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