Search skill directories by matching the query against skill names and paths.
AI agents call github_skills_search_skills to retrieve information from Agent Skills MCP without modifying anything — typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
This tool retrieves information about available skills from repositories without creating, modifying, deleting, or executing anything. It is a straightforward search/query operation, which falls under the Read category. The severity is low because skill discovery poses minimal security risk — the tool cannot execute code, modify repositories, or cause side effects beyond returning search results.
From the tool's definition Tool description states 'Search skill directories by matching the query against skill names and paths' — this is a search operation with no modification of data or side effects.
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
Search skill directories by matching the query against skill names and paths. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Agent Skills MCP MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the Agent Skills MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for github_skills_search_skills: 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 Agent Skills MCP. Nothing to install.
github_skills_search_skills 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 github_skills_search_skills 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 github_skills_search_skills. 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.
github_skills_search_skills is provided by the Agent Skills MCP server (pinkpixel-dev/agentskills-mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
Every MCP server has a record like this.
Type a name, get the same breakdown: verified identity, auth posture, risk grade, capabilities, recommended policy.
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