Search through your private journal entries using natural language queries. Returns semantically similar entries ranked by relevance.
AI agents call search_journal to retrieve information from Private Journal without modifying anything — typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
This tool retrieves and queries existing journal data based on natural language semantic similarity. It has no side effects, creates no new entries, modifies nothing, and deletes nothing. The operation is purely informational retrieval, fitting the Read category.
From the tool's definition Tool description explicitly states it "search[es] through" journal entries and "returns semantically similar entries ranked by relevance" — core read operations with no modification, creation, or deletion of data.
Documented attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access search_journal gives an agent:
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway — it sits between your AI agents and Private Journal, and nothing reaches the server without passing your rules. This is the rule we recommend for search_journal:
{
"version": "1",
"default": "deny",
"tools": {
"search_journal": {}
}
}search_journal is read-only, so it stays allowed — but everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.
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Search through your private journal entries using natural language queries. Returns semantically similar entries ranked by relevance. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Private Journal MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the Private Journal MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for search_journal: 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 Private Journal. Nothing to install.
search_journal 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_journal 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_journal. 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_journal is provided by the Private Journal MCP server (obra/private-journal-mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
Deterministic rules across all 5 Private Journal tools. Per-identity grants. Full audit log. Live in minutes. Nothing to install.
Free to start. No card required.
5 Private Journal tools catalogued and risk-classified — across an index of 42,500+ MCP servers.