Search symbols by name, kind, or text. Use instead of Grep when looking for functions, classes, methods, or variables in source code. For raw text/string/comment search use search_text instead. For finding who references a known symbol use find_usages instead. Supports kind/language/file_pattern ...
AI agents call search 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 is a code navigation and querying tool that performs static analysis searches over a dependency graph. It returns matching symbols and references but has no side effects—no code execution, data modification, or destructive operations. The fuzzy and semantic search options are still read operations.
From the tool's definition Tool description states: 'Search symbols by name, kind, or text' and 'For finding who references a known symbol use find_usages instead'. These are read-only query operations.
Documented attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access search 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 search:
{
"version": "1",
"default": "deny",
"tools": {
"search": {}
}
}search is read-only, so it stays allowed — but everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.
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Search symbols by name, kind, or text. Use instead of Grep when looking for functions, classes, methods, or variables in source code. For raw text/string/comment search use search_text instead. For finding who references a known symbol use find_usages instead. Supports kind/language/file_pattern filters. Set fuzzy=true for typo-tolerant search (trigram + Levenshtein). For natural-language / conceptual queries set semantic=. 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 search: 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.
search 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 search 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 search. 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.
search 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.