Low Risk

searxng_list_engines

List the search engines configured in this SearXNG instance

How to control searxng_list_engines ↓

What searxng_list_engines does on Crow

AI agents call searxng_list_engines to retrieve information from Crow without modifying anything — typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.

Low Risk

Why searxng_list_engines needs a policy

This tool queries and returns information about search engine configuration. It performs a read-only operation that retrieves existing data without creating, modifying, deleting, or executing any actions. The blast radius of misuse is minimal—an attacker gains only knowledge of available search engines in the instance.

From the tool's definition Tool name 'searxng_list_engines' and description 'List the search engines configured in this SearXNG instance' indicate retrieval of configuration data with no modification or side effects.

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

How to control searxng_list_engines

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

policy.json
{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "searxng_list_engines": {}
  }
}

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

  1. Create a free account and register Crow — nothing to install.
  2. Add this policy — paste it, or build it visually.
  3. Point your MCP client (Claude, Cursor, anything) at your gateway URL.
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Related tools and policies

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Questions about searxng_list_engines

What does the searxng_list_engines tool do? +

List the search engines configured in this SearXNG instance. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Crow MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.

How do I enforce a policy on searxng_list_engines? +

Register the Crow MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for searxng_list_engines: 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 Crow. Nothing to install.

What risk level is searxng_list_engines? +

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

Can I rate-limit searxng_list_engines? +

Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the searxng_list_engines 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 searxng_list_engines completely? +

Set action: deny in the PolicyLayer policy for searxng_list_engines. 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 searxng_list_engines? +

searxng_list_engines is provided by the Crow MCP server (kh0pper/crow). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.

Enforce policy on every Crow tool call.

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

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576 Crow tools catalogued and risk-classified — across an index of 43,000+ MCP servers.

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