Low Risk

export_vault_archive

Create a ZIP archive of the entire vault

How to control export_vault_archive ↓

What export_vault_archive does on Obsidian MCP Server

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

Low Risk

Why export_vault_archive needs a policy

This tool packages the entire vault into a ZIP archive, which is fundamentally a read/copy operation — it retrieves and bundles all vault data without modifying or deleting anything.

From the tool's definition Create a ZIP archive of the entire vault

Risk signalsBulk/mass operation — affects multiple targets

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

How to control export_vault_archive

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

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

export_vault_archive 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 Obsidian MCP Server — 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 export_vault_archive

What does the export_vault_archive tool do? +

Create a ZIP archive of the entire vault. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Obsidian MCP Server MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.

How do I enforce a policy on export_vault_archive? +

Register the Obsidian MCP Server MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for export_vault_archive: 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 Obsidian MCP Server. Nothing to install.

What risk level is export_vault_archive? +

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

Can I rate-limit export_vault_archive? +

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

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

export_vault_archive is provided by the Obsidian MCP Server MCP server (kynlos/obsidian-mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.

Enforce policy on every Obsidian MCP Server tool call.

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

Free to start. No card required.

120 Obsidian MCP Server tools catalogued and risk-classified — across an index of 43,000+ MCP servers.

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