Read a note with full metadata including parsed frontmatter, outgoing wikilinks,
AI agents call read_note to retrieve information from Obsidian Knowledge Management 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 markdown file content from an Obsidian vault without creating, modifying, or deleting any data. It has no side effects beyond information retrieval, making it a Read category tool with low severity risk.
From the tool's definition Tool name 'read_note' and description stating it 'Read[s] a note with full metadata including parsed frontmatter, outgoing wikilinks' indicates a retrieval operation with no modification or deletion of data.
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
Read a note with full metadata including parsed frontmatter, outgoing wikilinks,. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Obsidian Knowledge Management MCP Server MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the Obsidian Knowledge Management MCP Server MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for read_note: 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 Obsidian Knowledge Management MCP Server. Nothing to install.
read_note 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 read_note 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 read_note. 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.
read_note is provided by the Obsidian Knowledge Management MCP Server MCP server (theoutcastvirus/obsidian-knowledge-mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
Every MCP server has a record like this.
Type a name, get the same breakdown: verified identity, auth posture, risk grade, capabilities, recommended policy.
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