find_similar_notes

THE RISK

Low Risk

Why find_similar_notes needs a policy

This tool performs a content similarity search within an Obsidian vault using cosine similarity metrics. It queries existing notes and returns matching results, which is a classic Read operation. There are no side effects, no data modifications, no code execution, and no destructive actions.

From the tool's definition Tool name 'find_similar_notes' and description 'Find notes with similar content using cosine similarity' indicate a read-only operation that searches and retrieves data without modifying, deleting, or executing external actions.

Documented attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access find_similar_notes gives an agent:

POLICY

How to control find_similar_notes

PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway — it sits between your AI agents and Enhanced Obsidian MCP Server, and nothing reaches the server without passing your rules. This is the rule we recommend for find_similar_notes:

policy.json

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

find_similar_notes is read-only, so it stays allowed — but everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.

Create a free account and register Enhanced Obsidian MCP Server — nothing to install.
Add this policy — paste it, or build it visually.
Point your MCP client (Claude, Cursor, anything) at your gateway URL.

CAP THIS TOOL →

Free to start. No card required.

EXPLORE

Related tools and policies

More Enhanced Obsidian MCP Server tools

Destructive delete_note Delete a note from the Obsidian vault Destructive delete_template Delete a template Destructive manage_folder Create, rename, move, or delete a folder in the Obsidian vault Write add_tags Add tags to a note Write apply_template Apply a template to create a new note Write auto_backlink_vault Automatically add backlinks throughout the entire vault by detecting note names in content Write create_note Create a new note in the Obsidian vault Write create_template Create a new template

All 25 Enhanced Obsidian MCP Server tools →

Read tools on other servers

M-Team MCP Server get_torrent_detail YouTube MCP Server search_channel Android Forensics ADB MCP Server parse_browser_history 0xarchive web3_challenge

Go deeper

The MCP Attack Database → Documented attack patterns against MCP deployments — and the policies that stop them.
Data exfiltration → How read access becomes an exfiltration channel when chained with untrusted content.
MCP token cost → What connecting this server costs in context-window tokens on every request.
Rate Limiting MCP Tool Calls: A Practical Guide →
MCP Security: Why Prompt Guardrails Aren't Enough →

FAQ

Questions about find_similar_notes

What does the find_similar_notes tool do? +

Find notes with similar content using cosine similarity. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Enhanced Obsidian MCP Server MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.

How do I enforce a policy on find_similar_notes? +

Register the Enhanced Obsidian MCP Server MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for find_similar_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 Enhanced Obsidian MCP Server. Nothing to install.

What risk level is find_similar_notes? +

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

Can I rate-limit find_similar_notes? +

Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the find_similar_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.

How do I block find_similar_notes completely? +

Set action: deny in the PolicyLayer policy for find_similar_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.

What MCP server provides find_similar_notes? +

find_similar_notes is provided by the Enhanced Obsidian MCP Server MCP server (jianruidutong/obsidian-mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.

Enforce policy on every Enhanced Obsidian MCP Server tool call.

Start from Enhanced Obsidian MCP Server, add the rest of your stack, and see everything your agents can call. Then put policy on all of it.

CHECK YOUR STACK →