search_roam

THE RISK

Low Risk

Why search_roam needs a policy

This tool performs a read-only search operation on the Roam database. It retrieves matching content based on search terms but does not create, modify, or delete any data. The blast radius of misuse is minimal—an AI agent could waste resources or return irrelevant results, but cannot harm data integrity or user privacy beyond what is already visible in the graph.

From the tool's definition Tool name 'search_roam' and description 'Search Roam database for content containing the specified terms' indicate a query/search operation with no side effects.

Documented attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access search_roam gives an agent:

POLICY

How to control search_roam

PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway — it sits between your AI agents and Roam Research MCP Server, and nothing reaches the server without passing your rules. This is the rule we recommend for search_roam:

policy.json

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

search_roam is read-only, so it stays allowed — but everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.

Create a free account and register Roam Research MCP Server — nothing to install.
Add this policy — paste it, or build it visually.
Point your MCP client (Claude, Cursor, anything) at your gateway URL.

CAP THIS TOOL →

Free to start. No card required.

EXPLORE

Related tools and policies

More Roam Research MCP Server tools

Destructive roam_delete_block Delete a single block from the graph by its UID. Destructive roam_delete_page Delete a page and all of its blocks from the graph by its UID. Execute roam_datomic_query Execute a custom Datomic query on the Roam graph beyond the available search tools. Write roam_add_todo Add a list of todo items as individual blocks to today's daily page in Roam. Write roam_create_block Add a new block to an existing Roam page. If no page specified, adds to today's daily note Write roam_create_outline roam_create_outline Write roam_create_page roam_create_page Write roam_import_markdown roam_import_markdown

All 26 Roam Research MCP Server tools →

Read tools on other servers

M-Team MCP Server get_torrent_detail YouTube MCP Server search_channel Android Forensics ADB MCP Server parse_browser_history 0xarchive web3_challenge

Go deeper

The MCP Attack Database → Documented attack patterns against MCP deployments — and the policies that stop them.
Data exfiltration → How read access becomes an exfiltration channel when chained with untrusted content.
MCP token cost → What connecting this server costs in context-window tokens on every request.
Rate Limiting MCP Tool Calls: A Practical Guide →
MCP Security: Why Prompt Guardrails Aren't Enough →

FAQ

Questions about search_roam

What does the search_roam tool do? +

Search Roam database for content containing the specified terms. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Roam Research MCP Server MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.

How do I enforce a policy on search_roam? +

Register the Roam Research MCP Server MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for search_roam: 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 Roam Research MCP Server. Nothing to install.

What risk level is search_roam? +

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

Can I rate-limit search_roam? +

Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the search_roam 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_roam completely? +

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

search_roam is provided by the Roam Research MCP Server MCP server (philosolares/roam-mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.

Enforce policy on every Roam Research MCP Server tool call.

Start from Roam Research MCP Server, add the rest of your stack, and see everything your agents can call. Then put policy on all of it.

CHECK YOUR STACK →