Search for text across all notes in vault
AI agents call search_vault to retrieve information from Obsidian MCP Server without modifying anything — typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
This tool performs full-text search across notes, which is a read-only operation with no side effects. It retrieves and returns search results but does not create, modify, delete, or execute any code. The severity is low because search operations have minimal blast radius—the worst outcome is information disclosure of note contents that the user already has access to within their own vault.
From the tool's definition Tool name 'search_vault' and description 'Search for text across all notes in vault' indicate a query operation that retrieves matching content without modifying data.
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
Search for text across all notes in vault. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Obsidian MCP Server MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the Obsidian MCP Server MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for search_vault: 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 Obsidian MCP Server. Nothing to install.
search_vault 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_vault 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_vault. 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_vault is provided by the Obsidian MCP Server MCP server (quinny1187/obsidian-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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