plan_refactoring

SERVERTrace SOURCEnikolai-vysotskyi/trace-mcp

Low RISK CLASS

Category Read

Parameters 00 required

Recommended Allowedsee the rule below

Registry record Grade F, identity unverified Pull the record →

This record as markdown: /tools/nikolai-vysotskyi-trace-mcp/plan-refactoring.md

WHAT IT DOES

What plan_refactoring does on Trace

AI agents call plan_refactoring to retrieve information from Trace without modifying anything. It is typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.

RISK

Why plan_refactoring is rated Low

The tool explicitly states it is read-only and does not modify files. It only previews what changes would be made and returns a JSON description of potential edits, making it a pure Read operation with minimal risk.

From the tool's definition Preview any refactoring...without applying. Returns all edits as {old_text, new_text} pairs. Read-only (does not modify files).

Attacks that exploit this kind of access

RECOMMENDED RULE

The rule that runs plan_refactoring safely

PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway: it sits between your AI agents and Trace, and checks every tool call against a rule you set before the call runs. Nothing changes on the server itself. For plan_refactoring, this is the rule to start with:

plan_refactoring Allowed

plan_refactoring is read-only, so it stays allowed. Everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.

View as policy code

policy.json

{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "plan_refactoring": {}
  }
}

ALLOW ONLY THIS TOOL → Instant setup, no code required.

The button opens the PolicyLayer dashboard: create your workspace, connect Trace, apply this rule, and every plan_refactoring call is checked against it from then on.

FAQ

Questions about plan_refactoring

What does the plan_refactoring tool do? +

Preview any refactoring (rename, move, extract, signature) without applying. Returns all edits as {old_text, new_text} pairs. Read-only (does not modify files). Use to review the blast radius before calling apply_rename, apply_move, change_signature, or extract_function. Returns JSON: { success, type, edits: [{ file, old_text, new_text }], filesAffected }. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Trace MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.

How do I enforce a policy on plan_refactoring? +

Register the Trace MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for plan_refactoring: 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.

What risk level is plan_refactoring? +

plan_refactoring is a Read tool with low risk. Read-only tools are generally safe to allow by default.

Can I rate-limit plan_refactoring? +

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

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

plan_refactoring 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.

KEEP EXPLORING

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