search_entries

THE RISK

Low Risk

Why search_entries needs a policy

The tool performs a search/query operation on existing journal entries. Searching is a read-only retrieval action with no side effects, no code execution, no data modification, and no destructive or financial implications. The low severity reflects minimal blast radius if misused by an agent — it can only access and return journal content the user already owns.

From the tool's definition Tool name is 'search_entries' and description states 'Search journal entries by text content' — this is a query operation that retrieves data without modifying or deleting anything.

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

POLICY

How to control search_entries

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

policy.json

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

search_entries 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 MCP-DayOne — 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 MCP-DayOne tools

Write create_entry_with_attachments Create a journal entry with file attachments (photos, videos, audio, PDFs) Write create_journal_entry Create a new entry in Day One journal with support for attachments, location, and metadata Write create_location_entry Create a journal entry with location coordinates Read get_entries_by_date Get journal entries for a specific date across multiple years ( Read get_entry_count Get the total number of entries in a journal Read get_entry_count_from_db Get actual entry count from Day One database Read list_journals List all available Day One journals Read list_journals_from_db List all journals from database with entry counts

All 10 MCP-DayOne 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_entries

What does the search_entries tool do? +

Search journal entries by text content. It is categorised as a Read tool in the MCP-DayOne MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.

How do I enforce a policy on search_entries? +

Register the MCP-DayOne MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for search_entries: 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 MCP-DayOne. Nothing to install.

What risk level is search_entries? +

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

Can I rate-limit search_entries? +

Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the search_entries 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_entries completely? +

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

search_entries is provided by the MCP-DayOne MCP server (quevin/mcp-dayone). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.

Enforce policy on every MCP-DayOne tool call.

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

CHECK YOUR STACK →