Search emails with detailed results
AI agents call search-emails to retrieve information from Gmail 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 email data without side effects. It returns search results but does not create, modify, delete, or execute operations. While email content can be sensitive, the tool itself performs passive retrieval only, making it a Read category risk with low severity.
From the tool's definition Tool name 'search-emails' and description 'Search emails with detailed results' indicate a query-only operation. Server description confirms it enables AI to 'search, read, and send emails' - search is grouped with read-only capabilities.
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
Search emails with detailed results. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Gmail MCP Server MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the Gmail MCP Server MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for search-emails: 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 Gmail MCP Server. Nothing to install.
search-emails 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-emails 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-emails. 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-emails is provided by the Gmail MCP Server MCP server (solonabot/gmail-mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
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