scan_code_smells

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/scan-code-smells.md

WHAT IT DOES

What scan_code_smells does on Trace

AI agents call scan_code_smells 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 scan_code_smells is rated Low

Scans and reports code smells without modifying, executing, or risking data loss.

From the tool's definition Find deferred work and shortcuts. Read-only. Returns JSON findings.

Attacks that exploit this kind of access

RECOMMENDED RULE

The rule that runs scan_code_smells 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 scan_code_smells, this is the rule to start with:

scan_code_smells Allowed

scan_code_smells 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": {
    "scan_code_smells": {}
  }
}

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 scan_code_smells call is checked against it from then on.

FAQ

Questions about scan_code_smells

What does the scan_code_smells tool do? +

Find deferred work and shortcuts: TODO/FIXME/HACK/XXX comments, empty functions & stubs, hardcoded values (IPs, URLs, credentials, magic numbers), and per-language debug artifacts (console.log, debugger, var_dump, pdb.set_trace, etc). Combines comment scanning, symbol body analysis, and false-positive filtering — surfaces more than grep alone. Use for code quality audits / pre-release checks. For performance antipatterns use detect_antipatterns; for security use scan_security. Read-only. Returns JSON: { findings: [{ category, priority, file, line, message }], total, summary }. 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 scan_code_smells? +

Register the Trace MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for scan_code_smells: 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 scan_code_smells? +

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

Can I rate-limit scan_code_smells? +

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

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

scan_code_smells 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.

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