Attach a local file (image, PDF, document) to an existing Bear note by its ID or title. Bear extracts text from images and PDFs via OCR, making attachment content searchable through bear-search-notes. Supports direct title lookup as an alternative to searching first. Requires the note
AI agents use bear-add-file to create or update resources in Bear Notes — usually the action step of a workflow, after the agent has gathered context. Every call changes real data in your Bear Notes environment.
This tool performs a reversible modification operation (attaching files to notes). It does not delete data (not Destructive), execute arbitrary code (not Execute), or involve financial transactions (not Financial). The 'Attach' action and the fact that attachments can be removed make this a Write operation.
From the tool's definition Tool description states 'Attach a local file' and 'to an existing Bear note', which are write operations that modify note content. The tool adds attachments to notes, changing their state.
Documented attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access bear-add-file gives an agent:
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway — it sits between your AI agents and Bear Notes, and nothing reaches the server without passing your rules. This is the rule we recommend for bear-add-file:
{
"version": "1",
"default": "deny",
"tools": {
"bear-add-file": {
"limits": [
{
"counter": "bear-add-file_rate",
"window": "minute",
"max": 30,
"scope": "grant"
}
]
}
}
}bear-add-file stays usable, but capped — an agent stuck in a loop can't make hundreds of changes a minute. Everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.
Free to start. No card required.
Attach a local file (image, PDF, document) to an existing Bear note by its ID or title. Bear extracts text from images and PDFs via OCR, making attachment content searchable through bear-search-notes. Supports direct title lookup as an alternative to searching first. Requires the note. It is categorised as a Write tool in the Bear Notes MCP Server, which means it can create or modify data. Consider rate limits to prevent runaway writes.
Register the Bear Notes MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for bear-add-file: 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 Bear Notes. Nothing to install.
bear-add-file is a Write tool with medium risk. Write tools should be rate-limited to prevent accidental bulk modifications.
Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the bear-add-file 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 bear-add-file. 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.
bear-add-file is provided by the Bear Notes MCP server (vasylenko/bear-notes-mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
Deterministic rules across all 13 Bear Notes tools. Per-identity grants. Full audit log. Live in minutes. Nothing to install.
Free to start. No card required.
13 Bear Notes tools catalogued and risk-classified — across an index of 42,500+ MCP servers.