Retrieve a file from the Storacha Network. Supports formats: CID/filename, /ipfs/CID/filename, or ipfs://CID/filename.
AI agents call retrieve to retrieve information from Storacha MCP Storage Server without modifying anything — typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
Retrieving files from a decentralized storage network is a read-only operation that queries or fetches data without creating, modifying, deleting, or executing anything. The blast radius of misuse is limited to potential unauthorized access to files that the AI might not be entitled to read, but this is a confidentiality risk rather than an integrity or availability risk.
From the tool's definition Tool name is 'retrieve' and description explicitly states 'Retrieve a file from the Storacha Network', which is a data retrieval operation with no modification or side effects.
Documented attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access retrieve gives an agent:
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway — it sits between your AI agents and Storacha MCP Storage Server, and nothing reaches the server without passing your rules. This is the rule we recommend for retrieve:
{
"version": "1",
"default": "deny",
"tools": {
"retrieve": {}
}
}retrieve is read-only, so it stays allowed — but everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.
Free to start. No card required.
Retrieve a file from the Storacha Network. Supports formats: CID/filename, /ipfs/CID/filename, or ipfs://CID/filename. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Storacha MCP Storage Server MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the Storacha MCP Storage Server MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for retrieve: 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 Storacha MCP Storage Server. Nothing to install.
retrieve 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 retrieve 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 retrieve. 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.
retrieve is provided by the Storacha MCP Storage Server MCP server (storacha/mcp-storage-server). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
Start from Storacha MCP Storage Server, add the rest of your stack, and see everything your agents can call. Then put policy on all of it.
Free to start. No card required.
3 Storacha MCP Storage Server tools catalogued and risk-classified — across an index of 43,000+ MCP servers.