AI agents call search_emails to retrieve information from Mcp Gmail without modifying anything — typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
Based on the tool name 'search_emails' and context from sibling tools like 'query_emails' and 'get_emails' which are read operations, this tool retrieves email data without modifying it. However, severity is medium rather than low because email access can expose sensitive personal and organizational information, authentication credentials, and confidential communications if misused by an AI agent.
From the tool's definition Tool name 'search_emails' combined with server description enabling 'read' emails and sibling tools including 'query_emails' and 'get_emails' indicate retrieval functionality. No description provided for this specific tool.
Documented attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access search_emails gives an agent:
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway — it sits between your AI agents and Mcp Gmail, and nothing reaches the server without passing your rules. This is the rule we recommend for search_emails:
{
"version": "1",
"default": "deny",
"tools": {
"search_emails": {}
}
}search_emails is read-only, so it stays allowed — but everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.
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search_emails. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Mcp Gmail MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the Mcp Gmail MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for search_emails: 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 Mcp Gmail. Nothing to install.
search_emails 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_emails 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_emails. 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_emails is provided by the Mcp Gmail MCP server (jeremyjordan/mcp-gmail). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
Start from Mcp Gmail, add the rest of your stack, and see everything your agents can call. Then put policy on all of it.
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9 Mcp Gmail tools catalogued and risk-classified — across an index of 43,000+ MCP servers.