daily_append · Obsidian Local MCP: Risk & Policy

WHAT IT DOES

What daily_append does on Obsidian Local

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

WHY IT NEEDS A POLICY

Why daily_append needs a policy

Appending content to a daily note is a write operation - it adds data to an existing note. It's reversible (content could be removed) and doesn't delete, execute code, or involve financial transactions. Severity is medium because an AI agent could append unwanted or large amounts of content to a user's daily note, but the blast radius is limited to a single file.

From the tool's definition 'Append content to today' - appends content to today's daily note, which is a reversible write/modification operation

Attacks that exploit this kind of access

Recommended rule Ready

Verdict

daily_append Rate-limited

daily_append 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.

View as policy code

policy.json

{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "daily_append": {
      "limits": [
        {
          "counter": "daily_append_rate",
          "window": "minute",
          "max": 30,
          "scope": "grant"
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}

LIMIT THIS TOOL →

Instant setup, no code required.

PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway: every tool call is checked against your rule before it reaches Obsidian Local, so you can run agents against it safely.

FAQ

Questions about daily_append

What does the daily_append tool do? +

Append content to today. It is categorised as a Write tool in the Obsidian Local MCP Server, which means it can create or modify data. Consider rate limits to prevent runaway writes.

How do I enforce a policy on daily_append? +

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

What risk level is daily_append? +

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

Can I rate-limit daily_append? +

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

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

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