Extract and convert web page content to clean, readable markdown format. Perfect for reading articles, documentation, blog posts, or any web content. Use this when you need to analyze text content from websites, bypass paywalls, or get structured data.
AI agents call read_url to retrieve information from Jina AI without modifying anything — typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
url | object | — | The complete URL of the webpage or PDF file to read and convert (e.g., 'https://example.com/article'). Can be a single URL string or an array of URLs for parall |
withAllLinks | boolean | — | Set to true to extract and return all hyperlinks found on the page as structured data |
withAllImages | boolean | — | Set to true to extract and return all images found on the page as structured data |
Parameters from the server's own tool schema.
This tool performs content extraction and retrieval only. While the description mentions 'bypass paywalls,' the actual function is fetching and formatting existing web content—a read operation. No data is created, modified, deleted, or code executed. The tool is classified as Read with low severity due to minimal risk: it retrieves publicly or user-accessible web content without side effects.
From the tool's definition Tool name 'read_url' and description explicitly states it 'Extract and convert web page content to clean, readable markdown format' for 'reading articles, documentation, blog posts, or any web content.' This is a pure retrieval operation with no modification,…
Risk signalsAccepts URL/endpoint input (url)
Documented attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access read_url gives an agent:
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway — it sits between your AI agents and Jina AI, and nothing reaches the server without passing your rules. This is the rule we recommend for read_url:
{
"version": "1",
"default": "deny",
"tools": {
"read_url": {}
}
}read_url is read-only, so it stays allowed — but everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.
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Extract and convert web page content to clean, readable markdown format. Perfect for reading articles, documentation, blog posts, or any web content. Use this when you need to analyze text content from websites, bypass paywalls, or get structured data. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Jina AI MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
read_url accepts 3 parameters: url, withAllLinks, withAllImages. The full parameter table on this page comes from the server's own tool schema.
Register the Jina AI MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for read_url: 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 Jina AI. Nothing to install.
read_url 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 read_url 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 read_url. 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.
read_url is provided by the Jina AI MCP server (jina). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
Start from Jina AI, add the rest of your stack, and see everything your agents can call. Then put policy on all of it.
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21 Jina AI tools catalogued and risk-classified — across an index of 43,000+ MCP servers.