Find all places that reference a symbol or file (imports, calls, renders, dispatches). Use instead of Grep for symbol usages — understands semantic relationships, not just text matches. For bidirectional call graph use get_call_graph instead. By default, weakly-grounded
AI agents call find_usages to retrieve information from Trace without modifying anything — typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
This tool performs semantic code analysis to locate usages of symbols and files. It reads and queries the dependency graph built by the MCP server but does not create, modify, delete, or execute code. It is purely informational/analytical, making it a Read category tool with low severity since misuse would only expose existing code structure information.
From the tool's definition Tool description explicitly states it 'Find[s] all places that reference a symbol or file' and instructs to 'Use instead of Grep for symbol usages'.
Documented attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access find_usages gives an agent:
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway — it sits between your AI agents and Trace, and nothing reaches the server without passing your rules. This is the rule we recommend for find_usages:
{
"version": "1",
"default": "deny",
"tools": {
"find_usages": {}
}
}find_usages is read-only, so it stays allowed — but everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.
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Find all places that reference a symbol or file (imports, calls, renders, dispatches). Use instead of Grep for symbol usages — understands semantic relationships, not just text matches. For bidirectional call graph use get_call_graph instead. By default, weakly-grounded. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Trace MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the Trace MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for find_usages: 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 Trace. Nothing to install.
find_usages 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 find_usages 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 find_usages. 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.
find_usages is provided by the Trace MCP server (nikolai-vysotskyi/trace-mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
Deterministic rules across all 178 Trace tools. Per-identity grants. Full audit log. Live in minutes. Nothing to install.
Free to start. No card required.
178 Trace tools catalogued and risk-classified — across an index of 42,500+ MCP servers.