Per-file git churn: commits, unique authors, frequency, volatility assessment. Requires git. Use to identify frequently-changed files. For combined churn+complexity hotspots use get_risk_hotspots instead. Read-only. Returns JSON: { results: [{ file, commits, authors, frequency, volatility }], tot...
AI agents call get_git_churn 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 only retrieves and queries git history metadata to analyze code churn patterns. It performs no modifications, deletions, or side effects. The explicit 'Read-only' designation confirms it is a pure data retrieval operation. Severity is low as misuse would only expose git statistics, not cause system damage or financial impact.
From the tool's definition Tool description states: 'Per-file git churn: commits, unique authors, frequency, volatility assessment' and explicitly marks 'Read-only.' Returns JSON with metrics (commits, authors, frequency, volatility) without modifying any data.
Documented attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access get_git_churn 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 get_git_churn:
{
"version": "1",
"default": "deny",
"tools": {
"get_git_churn": {}
}
}get_git_churn is read-only, so it stays allowed — but everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.
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Per-file git churn: commits, unique authors, frequency, volatility assessment. Requires git. Use to identify frequently-changed files. For combined churn+complexity hotspots use get_risk_hotspots instead. Read-only. Returns JSON: { results: [{ file, commits, authors, frequency, volatility }], total }. Set. 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 get_git_churn: 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.
get_git_churn 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 get_git_churn 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 get_git_churn. 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.
get_git_churn 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.
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178 Trace tools catalogued and risk-classified — across an index of 42,500+ MCP servers.