find_field_references
Find where a table field is used — its dictionary entry plus any scripts (business rules, script includes, client scripts, UI actions, widgets) that mention the field name. Use it before renaming or removing a field. Script matches are substring (LIKE) hits, so expect false positives (comments, s...
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What find_field_references does on ServiceNow MCP Server
AI agents call find_field_references to retrieve information from ServiceNow MCP Server without modifying anything. It is typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
Why find_field_references is rated Low
This is a pure read/query operation that discovers field references across a ServiceNow instance without side effects. It searches and retrieves information to support impact analysis before changes, but performs no writes, executions, or destructive actions. The low severity reflects minimal blast radius—misuse would only return unnecessary search results.
From the tool's definition Tool description states it 'Find[s] where a table field is used' by searching dictionary entries and scripts for field mentions. Operations are queries and substring searches with no modification, deletion, or execution capabilities.
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
The rule that runs find_field_references safely
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway: it sits between your AI agents and ServiceNow MCP Server, and checks every tool call against a rule you set before the call runs. Nothing changes on the server itself. For find_field_references, this is the rule to start with:
find_field_references is read-only, so it stays allowed. Everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.
The button opens the PolicyLayer dashboard: create your workspace, connect ServiceNow MCP Server, apply this rule, and every find_field_references call is checked against it from then on.
Questions about find_field_references
Find where a table field is used — its dictionary entry plus any scripts (business rules, script includes, client scripts, UI actions, widgets) that mention the field name. Use it before renaming or removing a field. Script matches are substring (LIKE) hits, so expect false positives (comments, similarly-named symbols) and misses for dynamically-built references; treat results as candidates to review, not a definitive list. It is categorised as a Read tool in the ServiceNow MCP Server MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the ServiceNow MCP Server MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for find_field_references: 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 ServiceNow MCP Server. Nothing to install.
find_field_references 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 find_field_references 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 find_field_references. 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.
find_field_references is provided by the ServiceNow MCP Server MCP server (@aartiq/servicenow-mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
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