search_text

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/search-text.md

WHAT IT DOES

What search_text does on Trace

AI agents call search_text 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 search_text is rated Low

Retrieves indexed file content without modification or execution; deliberately excludes sensitive data.

From the tool's definition Full-text search, read-only, skips .env files with secrets

Attacks that exploit this kind of access

RECOMMENDED RULE

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

search_text Allowed

search_text 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": {
    "search_text": {}
  }
}

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 search_text call is checked against it from then on.

FAQ

Questions about search_text

What does the search_text tool do? +

Full-text search across all indexed files. Supports regex, glob file patterns, language filter. Use for finding strings, comments, TODOs, config values, error messages — anything not captured as a symbol. Skips .env files: secret values are never searched or returned, use get_env_vars for env keys. For symbol search (functions, classes) use search instead. Read-only. Returns JSON: { files: [{ file, language, hits: [{ line, column, match, context }] }], total_matches } — hits grouped per file, so a long path is paid once. Pass. 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 search_text? +

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

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

Can I rate-limit search_text? +

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

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

search_text 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

More on Trace, and thousands of servers like it.

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Guides

Roll out MCP under one policy →Data exfiltration →MCP token cost →