List all incomplete todos from Obsidian vault using Dataview
AI agents call list_todos to retrieve information from Obsidian Todos MCP Server without modifying anything — typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
This tool retrieves and displays task data from an Obsidian vault without modifying, deleting, or executing any operations. It is a read-only query using Dataview, which is a standard Obsidian plugin for data retrieval. The blast radius is minimal—at worst an AI agent could misuse it to exfiltrate task metadata, but this poses no irreversible harm to data integrity or external systems.
From the tool's definition Tool name 'list_todos' and description 'List all incomplete todos from Obsidian vault using Dataview' indicate a query/retrieval operation with no side effects.
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
List all incomplete todos from Obsidian vault using Dataview. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Obsidian Todos MCP Server MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the Obsidian Todos MCP Server MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for list_todos: 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 Todos MCP Server. Nothing to install.
list_todos 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 list_todos 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 list_todos. 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.
list_todos is provided by the Obsidian Todos MCP Server MCP server (mtuckerb/obsidian-todos-mcp-server). 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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