Full-text search across all markdown notes in the vault.
AI agents call search_notes to retrieve information from Mcp Obsidian without modifying anything — typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
This tool performs full-text search functionality, which is a read-only operation that queries and retrieves data from the vault without modifying, creating, deleting, or executing anything. It matches the 'Read' category criteria of retrieving or querying data with no side effects.
From the tool's definition Tool name 'search_notes' and description 'Full-text search across all markdown notes in the vault' indicates a retrieval operation with no side effects.
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
Full-text search across all markdown notes in the vault. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Mcp Obsidian MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the Mcp Obsidian MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for search_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 Mcp Obsidian. Nothing to install.
search_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 search_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 search_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.
search_notes is provided by the Mcp Obsidian MCP server (jkang8/mcp-obsidian). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
Every MCP server has a record like this.
Type a name, get the same breakdown: verified identity, auth posture, risk grade, capabilities, recommended policy.
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