search_notes

THE RISK

Low Risk

Why search_notes needs a policy

This tool performs a search/query operation on Anki flashcard notes, returning matching results and previews. No data is created, modified, deleted, or irreversibly changed. No code execution or financial operations occur. This is a standard read/retrieval operation with no side effects.

From the tool's definition The tool is named `search_notes` and described as 'Find notes by AnkiConnect query. Returns IDs + a short Front preview by default.' The presence of optional parameters like `return_card_content=true` that retrieve additional data does not change its…

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

POLICY

How to control search_notes

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

policy.json

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

search_notes 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-AnkiConnect — 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-AnkiConnect tools

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All 10 MCP-AnkiConnect 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_notes

What does the search_notes tool do? +

Find notes by AnkiConnect query. Returns IDs + a short Front preview by default (cheap); pass return_card_content=true to receive cleaned field content inline. It is categorised as a Read tool in the MCP-AnkiConnect MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.

How do I enforce a policy on search_notes? +

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

What risk level is search_notes? +

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

Can I rate-limit search_notes? +

Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the search_notes 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_notes completely? +

Set action: deny in the PolicyLayer policy for search_notes. 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_notes? +

search_notes is provided by the MCP-AnkiConnect MCP server (samefarrar/mcp-ankiconnect). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.

Enforce policy on every MCP-AnkiConnect tool call.

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

CHECK YOUR STACK →