show
Shows commit details and diff statistics for a given ref. When
This record as markdown: /tools/io-github-dave-london-github/show.md
What show does on Github
AI agents call show 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.
Why show is rated Low
This tool performs a read-only operation that retrieves commit metadata and diff information. There are no side effects, no data modifications, and no external operations triggered. The blast radius is minimal as misuse would only result in information disclosure of git history already accessible to the user.
From the tool's definition 'Shows commit details and diff statistics for a given ref' - the tool retrieves and displays information about commits without modifying any data.
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
The rule that runs show 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 show, this is the rule to start with:
show 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 show call is checked against it from then on.
Questions about show
Shows commit details and diff statistics for a given ref. When. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Github MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the Github MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for show: 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.
show 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 show 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 show. 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.
show is provided by the Github MCP server (@paretools/github). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
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