Check for recent code changes pushed by other agents/team members. Returns unseen commits and affected files. Call this before starting work on shared branches to avoid conflicts.
AI agents call cortex_changes to retrieve information from Cortex Hub without modifying anything — typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
This tool retrieves historical commit and file change metadata from a repository. It enables read-only inspection of past changes to inform workflow decisions (avoiding conflicts). There is no capability to modify, delete, or execute code. No financial obligations or destructive actions are possible.
From the tool's definition Tool description states it 'Check[s] for recent code changes' and 'Returns unseen commits and affected files' — purely informational queries with no side effects.
Documented attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access cortex_changes gives an agent:
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway — it sits between your AI agents and Cortex Hub, and nothing reaches the server without passing your rules. This is the rule we recommend for cortex_changes:
{
"version": "1",
"default": "deny",
"tools": {
"cortex_changes": {}
}
}cortex_changes is read-only, so it stays allowed — but everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.
Free to start. No card required.
Check for recent code changes pushed by other agents/team members. Returns unseen commits and affected files. Call this before starting work on shared branches to avoid conflicts. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Cortex Hub MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the Cortex Hub MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for cortex_changes: 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 Cortex Hub. Nothing to install.
cortex_changes 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 cortex_changes 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 cortex_changes. 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.
cortex_changes is provided by the Cortex Hub MCP server (lktiep/cortex-hub). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
Start from Cortex Hub, 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.
25 Cortex Hub tools catalogued and risk-classified — across an index of 43,000+ MCP servers.