Unified search with comprehensive filtering capabilities including keyword search, date ranges, field-specific searches, attribute searches, note properties, template-based searches, note type filtering, MIME type filtering, and hierarchy navigation through unified searchCriteria structure. For s...
AI agents call search_notes to retrieve information from TriliumNext Notes' MCP Server without modifying anything — typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
This tool performs read-only operations that retrieve and query notes based on various filter criteria. Search operations have no side effects and do not modify, create, delete, or execute any code. The blast radius of misuse is minimal—worst case an attacker gains visibility into note content they may not be authorized to view, but no data is altered or destroyed. This is a standard Read category tool.
From the tool's definition Tool description states 'Unified search with comprehensive filtering capabilities including keyword search, date ranges, field-specific searches, attribute searches' and the tool is named 'search_notes'.
Documented attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access search_notes gives an agent:
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway — it sits between your AI agents and TriliumNext Notes' MCP Server, and nothing reaches the server without passing your rules. This is the rule we recommend for search_notes:
{
"version": "1",
"default": "deny",
"tools": {
"search_notes": {}
}
}search_notes is read-only, so it stays allowed — but everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.
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Unified search with comprehensive filtering capabilities including keyword search, date ranges, field-specific searches, attribute searches, note properties, template-based searches, note type filtering, MIME type filtering, and hierarchy navigation through unified searchCriteria structure. For simple keyword searches, use the. It is categorised as a Read tool in the TriliumNext Notes' MCP Server MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the TriliumNext Notes' MCP Server MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for search_notes: 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 TriliumNext Notes' MCP Server. Nothing to install.
search_notes 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_notes 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_notes. 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_notes is provided by the TriliumNext Notes' MCP Server MCP server (tan-yong-sheng/triliumnext-mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
Deterministic rules across all 11 TriliumNext Notes' MCP Server tools. Per-identity grants. Full audit log. Live in minutes. Nothing to install.
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11 TriliumNext Notes' MCP Server tools catalogued and risk-classified — across an index of 42,500+ MCP servers.