Full-text search across ISM control labels, titles, statements, and group paths. Combine with applicability/group/labelPrefix filters.
AI agents call search_controls to retrieve information from ISM MCP Server without modifying anything — typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
This tool retrieves and queries information from the ISM database without side effects. It is purely a read operation that searches control labels, titles, statements, and group paths. No data is created, modified, deleted, or executed.
From the tool's definition Tool performs 'full-text search' across ISM control data with filtering options. The description explicitly indicates querying and retrieval operations (search, combine with filters) with no modification, deletion, or execution capabilities.
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
Full-text search across ISM control labels, titles, statements, and group paths. Combine with applicability/group/labelPrefix filters. It is categorised as a Read tool in the ISM MCP Server MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the ISM MCP Server MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for search_controls: 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 ISM MCP Server. Nothing to install.
search_controls 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_controls 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_controls. 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_controls is provided by the ISM MCP Server MCP server (rusticeagle/ism-mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
search_controls is one line of ISM MCP Server's registry record.
The record carries the whole server: verified identity, auth posture, risk grade, every tool classified, recommended policy — re-checked continuously.
Teams ship this data inside their own products. See what a licence covers →