Search nodes by name, qualified name, or description
AI agents call search_nodes to retrieve information from CodeRAG without modifying anything — typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
This tool performs a search operation that retrieves information about nodes in the knowledge graph without modifying, deleting, or executing any operations. It is a passive read operation consistent with the Read category (search, query, fetch patterns). The low severity reflects that searching metadata about code structure poses minimal risk if an AI agent misuses it.
From the tool's definition Tool name 'search_nodes' and description 'Search nodes by name, qualified name, or description' indicates a query/retrieval operation with no mention of data modification, deletion, or execution capabilities.
Documented attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access search_nodes gives an agent:
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway — it sits between your AI agents and CodeRAG, and nothing reaches the server without passing your rules. This is the rule we recommend for search_nodes:
{
"version": "1",
"default": "deny",
"tools": {
"search_nodes": {}
}
}search_nodes is read-only, so it stays allowed — but everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.
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Search nodes by name, qualified name, or description. It is categorised as a Read tool in the CodeRAG MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the CodeRAG MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for search_nodes: 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 CodeRAG. Nothing to install.
search_nodes 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_nodes 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_nodes. 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_nodes is provided by the CodeRAG MCP server (jonnoc/coderag). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
Start from CodeRAG, add the rest of your stack, and see everything your agents can call. Then put policy on all of it.
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38 CodeRAG tools catalogued and risk-classified — across an index of 43,000+ MCP servers.