Medium Risk

find_replace_text

Find and replace text in the document

How to control find_replace_text ↓

What find_replace_text does on Indesign

AI agents use find_replace_text to create or update resources in Indesign — usually the action step of a workflow, after the agent has gathered context. Every call changes real data in your Indesign environment.

Medium Risk

Why find_replace_text needs a policy

This tool modifies document content by replacing text, which is a reversible write operation (the document can be edited again). The blast radius is medium because an AI agent could inadvertently replace unintended text across the entire document, but changes can be undone or the document re-edited.

From the tool's definition Find and replace text in the document

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

How to control find_replace_text

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

policy.json
{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "find_replace_text": {
      "limits": [
        {
          "counter": "find_replace_text_rate",
          "window": "minute",
          "max": 30,
          "scope": "grant"
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}

find_replace_text stays usable, but capped — an agent stuck in a loop can't make hundreds of changes a minute. Everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.

  1. Create a free account and register Indesign — 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.
LIMIT THIS TOOL →

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Related tools and policies

Go deeper

Questions about find_replace_text

What does the find_replace_text tool do? +

Find and replace text in the document. It is categorised as a Write tool in the Indesign MCP Server, which means it can create or modify data. Consider rate limits to prevent runaway writes.

How do I enforce a policy on find_replace_text? +

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

What risk level is find_replace_text? +

find_replace_text is a Write tool with medium risk. Write tools should be rate-limited to prevent accidental bulk modifications.

Can I rate-limit find_replace_text? +

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

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

find_replace_text is provided by the Indesign MCP server (lucdesign/indesign-mcp-server). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.

Enforce policy on every Indesign tool call.

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

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