Visualize a search query and its retrieved documents in the vector space. USE CASES: - Show where a query lands in the embedding space relative to the codebase - Highlight which code chunks are most similar to the query - Understand why certain results were retrieved - Debug search relevance issu...
AI agents call visualize_query to retrieve information from MCP Codebase Index without modifying anything — typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
This is a read-only visualization tool that queries existing embeddings and displays results. It has no capability to modify code, execute operations, delete data, or trigger external side effects. The worst case misuse is retrieving sensitive code patterns, which is a confidentiality concern but not a functional risk. Classified as Read with low severity due to minimal blast radius.
From the tool's definition Tool retrieves and visualizes search query results and document embeddings in vector space. Description indicates it 'Show[s] where a query lands' and 'Highlight[s] which code chunks are most similar' — purely informational operations with no data…
Documented attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access visualize_query gives an agent:
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway — it sits between your AI agents and MCP Codebase Index, and nothing reaches the server without passing your rules. This is the rule we recommend for visualize_query:
{
"version": "1",
"default": "deny",
"tools": {
"visualize_query": {}
}
}visualize_query 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.
Visualize a search query and its retrieved documents in the vector space. USE CASES: - Show where a query lands in the embedding space relative to the codebase - Highlight which code chunks are most similar to the query - Understand why certain results were retrieved - Debug search relevance issues OUTPUT FORMATS: -. It is categorised as a Read tool in the MCP Codebase Index MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the MCP Codebase Index MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for visualize_query: 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 MCP Codebase Index. Nothing to install.
visualize_query 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 visualize_query 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 visualize_query. 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.
visualize_query is provided by the MCP Codebase Index MCP server (ngotaico/mcp-codebase-index). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
Start from MCP Codebase Index, 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.
9 MCP Codebase Index tools catalogued and risk-classified — across an index of 43,000+ MCP servers.