AI agents call find_definition to retrieve information from MCP Code Analysis Server without modifying anything — typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
This tool performs semantic code search to locate symbol definitions, which is a read-only operation with no side effects. It retrieves information about code structure without altering the codebase or executing any operations. The low severity reflects minimal blast radius—misuse would only expose code location information, not execute arbitrary code or modify data.
From the tool's definition Tool name 'find_definition' and description 'Find where a symbol is defined' indicate a query operation that locates and retrieves symbol definition locations in code. No modification, execution, or deletion occurs.
Documented attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access find_definition gives an agent:
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway — it sits between your AI agents and MCP Code Analysis Server, and nothing reaches the server without passing your rules. This is the rule we recommend for find_definition:
{
"version": "1",
"default": "deny",
"tools": {
"find_definition": {}
}
}find_definition is read-only, so it stays allowed — but everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.
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Find where a symbol is defined. It is categorised as a Read tool in the MCP Code Analysis Server MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the MCP Code Analysis Server MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for find_definition: 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 Code Analysis Server. Nothing to install.
find_definition 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 find_definition 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 find_definition. 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.
find_definition is provided by the MCP Code Analysis Server MCP server (johannhartmann/mcpcodeanalysis). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
Start from MCP Code Analysis Server, add the rest of your stack, and see everything your agents can call. Then put policy on all of it.
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44 MCP Code Analysis Server tools catalogued and risk-classified — across an index of 43,000+ MCP servers.