Low Risk

search_codebase

Search for code by text matching or patterns. Use

How to control search_codebase ↓

AI agents call search_codebase to retrieve information from In Memoria without modifying anything — typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.

Low Risk

This tool performs read-only operations: searching and pattern matching within a codebase. It retrieves information but does not create, modify, delete, or execute code. No side effects are generated beyond returning search results.

From the tool's definition Tool name 'search_codebase' and description 'Search for code by text matching or patterns' indicate retrieval and querying of existing code without modification or execution.

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

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

policy.json
{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "search_codebase": {}
  }
}

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

  1. Create a free account and register In Memoria — nothing to install.
  2. Add this policy — paste it, or build it visually.
  3. Point your MCP client (Claude, Cursor, anything) at your gateway URL.
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Go deeper

What does the search_codebase tool do? +

Search for code by text matching or patterns. Use. It is categorised as a Read tool in the In Memoria MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.

How do I enforce a policy on search_codebase? +

Register the In Memoria MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for search_codebase: 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 In Memoria. Nothing to install.

What risk level is search_codebase? +

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

Can I rate-limit search_codebase? +

Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the search_codebase 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_codebase completely? +

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

search_codebase is provided by the In Memoria MCP server (pi22by7/in-memoria). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.

Enforce policy on every In Memoria tool call.

Deterministic rules across all 14 In Memoria tools. Per-identity grants. Full audit log. Live in minutes. Nothing to install.

Free to start. No card required.

14 In Memoria tools catalogued and risk-classified — across an index of 42,500+ MCP servers.

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