Search the terminal screen for text or regex pattern. Returns matching positions.
AI agents call search_screen to retrieve information from Interactive Shell MCP without modifying anything — typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
This tool queries the current state of the terminal display and returns search results without creating, modifying, deleting, or executing any commands. It is purely informational and has no side effects on the shell session or underlying system. The low severity reflects minimal blast radius—misuse would only expose information already visible on the screen.
From the tool's definition The tool 'search_screen' performs a read-only search operation on the terminal screen for text or regex patterns, returning matching positions.
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
Search the terminal screen for text or regex pattern. Returns matching positions. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Interactive Shell MCP MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the Interactive Shell MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for search_screen: 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 Interactive Shell MCP. Nothing to install.
search_screen 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_screen 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_screen. 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_screen is provided by the Interactive Shell MCP server (lightos/interactive-shell-mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
Every MCP server has a record like this.
Type a name, get the same breakdown: verified identity, auth posture, risk grade, capabilities, recommended policy.
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