explain_change

THE RISK

Low Risk

Why explain_change needs a policy

This tool queries git history to explain or analyze a commit. It retrieves information from the repository without creating, modifying, deleting, or executing anything. The action is purely informational and read-only, consistent with other context-retrieval tools on the server like 'get_context_briefing' and 'get_project_context'.

From the tool's definition Tool name 'explain_change' and description 'Cross-references a git commit' indicate retrieval and analysis of existing git data with no modification or execution capabilities.

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

POLICY

How to control explain_change

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

policy.json

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

explain_change 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 Memex — 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 Memex tools

Destructive invalidate_edge Explicitly invalidates a graph edge when it is discovered to be stale or incorrect. Return Write record_decision Creates a Decision node in the graph. Call this when making or discovering architectural c Write record_problem Creates a Problem node in the graph. Call this when discovering bugs or technical debt. Re Write resolve_problem Marks a Problem as closed and records the resolution. Returns a status string. Read get_context_briefing Returns a ranked, token-capped briefing of the most important Read get_open_problems Returns currently open technical problems and TODOs sorted by severity as a Markdown strin Read get_project_context Returns a compressed briefing of the project as a Markdown string: active modules, recent Read get_recent_decisions Returns architectural and technical decisions from the past N days as a Markdown string.

All 13 Memex 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 explain_change

What does the explain_change tool do? +

Cross-references a git commit. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Memex MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.

How do I enforce a policy on explain_change? +

Register the Memex MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for explain_change: 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 Memex. Nothing to install.

What risk level is explain_change? +

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

Can I rate-limit explain_change? +

Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the explain_change 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 explain_change completely? +

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

explain_change is provided by the Memex MCP server (stifler7/memex). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.

Enforce policy on every Memex tool call.

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

CHECK YOUR STACK →