Retrieve skill by ID with complete content. WHAT: Returns the full skill including markdown content, allowed tools, compatibility requirements, metadata, and all other fields. WHEN: You need the full skill content and metadata for a specific skill. Common after listing or searching skills, or whe...
AI agents call get_skill to retrieve information from Forgetful without modifying anything — typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
This tool retrieves and returns existing skill data by ID without creating, modifying, deleting, or executing anything. It has no side effects and minimal blast radius if misused—an agent could only over-retrieve data. The inclusion in a knowledge base server with semantic search and retrieval capabilities confirms its read-only nature.
From the tool's definition Tool description states 'Retrieve skill by ID' and 'Returns the full skill including markdown content'. The action is purely retrievational with no modification or deletion.
Documented attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access get_skill gives an agent:
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway — it sits between your AI agents and Forgetful, and nothing reaches the server without passing your rules. This is the rule we recommend for get_skill:
{
"version": "1",
"default": "deny",
"tools": {
"get_skill": {}
}
}get_skill is read-only, so it stays allowed — but everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.
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Retrieve skill by ID with complete content. WHAT: Returns the full skill including markdown content, allowed tools, compatibility requirements, metadata, and all other fields. WHEN: You need the full skill content and metadata for a specific skill. Common after listing or searching skills, or when a memory references a skill ID. BEHAVIOR: Returns complete skill including full content, description, and metadata. Ownership verified automatically. NOT-USE: For browsing multiple skills (use list_skills or search_skills). Args: skill_id: Unique skill ID ctx: Context (automatically injected) Returns: Complete Skill with content, description, metadata Raises: ToolError if skill not found or access denied. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Forgetful MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the Forgetful MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for get_skill: 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 Forgetful. Nothing to install.
get_skill 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 get_skill 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 get_skill. 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.
get_skill is provided by the Forgetful MCP server (scottrbk/forgetful). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
Deterministic rules across all 59 Forgetful tools. Per-identity grants. Full audit log. Live in minutes. Nothing to install.
Free to start. No card required.
59 Forgetful tools catalogued and risk-classified — across an index of 42,500+ MCP servers.