search_by_citation

THE RISK

Low Risk

Why search_by_citation needs a policy

This tool retrieves and searches existing legal documents and metadata without creating, modifying, deleting, or executing code. It returns structured data (URLs, case information) from an existing legal database. The validation of citations against AustLII is a lookup operation, not a side-effect-bearing action. This is a straightforward Read operation with minimal risk.

From the tool's definition Tool performs 'Find a case by its citation' and 'performs a case name search'—these are retrieval operations with no modification or execution of external systems.

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

POLICY

How to control search_by_citation

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

policy.json

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

search_by_citation 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 AusLaw MCP — 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 AusLaw MCP tools

Write cache_cited_by Fetch citing cases for a cached citation from jade.io and store them locally. Write check_source_freshness Check whether the locally cached source file for a citation is still current. Issues a con Write cache_citation Store or update a citation in the local project cache. Assigns a biblatex-compatible cite Write export_bibliography Export cached citations as a BibLaTeX .bib file. Returns the bib text and the path where i Read fetch_document_text Fetch full text for a legislation or case URL (AustLII or jade.io), with OCR fallback for Read format_citation Format an Australian case citation according to AGLC4 rules. Combines case name, neutral c Read format_short_citation Format an AGLC4-compliant short-form, Ibid, or subsequent reference. Use Read get_cached_citation Retrieve a citation from the local cache without any network calls. Looks up by cite key,

All 18 AusLaw MCP tools →

Read tools on other servers

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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_by_citation

What does the search_by_citation tool do? +

Find a case by its citation. If a neutral citation is detected, validates it against AustLII and returns the direct URL. Otherwise performs a case name search. It is categorised as a Read tool in the AusLaw MCP MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.

How do I enforce a policy on search_by_citation? +

Register the AusLaw MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for search_by_citation: 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 AusLaw MCP. Nothing to install.

What risk level is search_by_citation? +

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

Can I rate-limit search_by_citation? +

Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the search_by_citation 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_by_citation completely? +

Set action: deny in the PolicyLayer policy for search_by_citation. 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_by_citation? +

search_by_citation is provided by the AusLaw MCP server (russellbrenner/auslaw-mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.

Enforce policy on every AusLaw MCP tool call.

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

CHECK YOUR STACK →