This record as markdown: /tools/io-github-arielbk-anki-mcp/cards-to-notes.md
What cards_to_notes does on Anki
AI agents call cards_to_notes to retrieve information from Anki without modifying anything. It is typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
Why cards_to_notes is rated Low
The tool name suggests retrieving note IDs corresponding to given card IDs, which is a standard Anki API read operation. No description is provided, which lowers confidence. Given the context of sibling tools (add_note, add_notes are Write; answer_cards, card_reviews are Execute/Write), this tool most likely performs a lookup/read mapping. Severity is low as misuse of a read operation has limited blast radius.
From the tool's definition Tool name 'cards_to_notes' suggests a conversion or lookup operation mapping cards to their associated notes, implying a read/query operation. Description is empty.
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
The rule that runs cards_to_notes safely
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway: it sits between your AI agents and Anki, and checks every tool call against a rule you set before the call runs. Nothing changes on the server itself. For cards_to_notes, this is the rule to start with:
cards_to_notes 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 Anki, apply this rule, and every cards_to_notes call is checked against it from then on.
Questions about cards_to_notes
cards_to_notes is a read tool on the Anki MCP server. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Anki MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the Anki MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for cards_to_notes: 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 Anki. Nothing to install.
cards_to_notes 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 cards_to_notes 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 cards_to_notes. 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.
cards_to_notes is provided by the Anki MCP server (@arielbk/anki-mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
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