AI agents call find_backlinks 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.
The tool performs a read-only query of the knowledge base's link graph. It retrieves metadata about references to a note but does not create, modify, execute code, delete, or move data. This is a safe informational lookup operation typical of knowledge base navigation.
From the tool's definition Tool name and description: 'find_backlinks' - 'Find all notes that link to a specific note'. This is a query/retrieval operation that reads existing backlink relationships without modifying, executing, or deleting any data.
Documented attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access find_backlinks gives an agent:
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 find_backlinks:
{
"version": "1",
"default": "deny",
"tools": {
"find_backlinks": {}
}
}find_backlinks is read-only, so it stays allowed — but everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.
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Find all notes that link to a specific note. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Obsidian MCP Server MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the Obsidian MCP Server MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for find_backlinks: 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.
find_backlinks 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_backlinks 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_backlinks. 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_backlinks 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.
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.
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120 Obsidian MCP Server tools catalogued and risk-classified — across an index of 43,000+ MCP servers.