MCP Tool Reference Low Risk

searchChannels

Search cached channels by keywords in their names

Part of the Telegram MCP server. Enforce policies on this tool with Intercept, the open-source MCP proxy.

telegram-mcp-server Read

WHEN AI AGENTS USE THIS TOOL

AI agents call searchChannels to retrieve information from Telegram without modifying any data. This is common in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows where the agent needs context before taking action. Because read operations don't change state, they are generally safe to allow without restrictions — but you may still want rate limits to control API costs.

WHY ENFORCE A POLICY ON SEARCHCHANNELS

Even though searchChannels only reads data, uncontrolled read access can leak sensitive information or rack up API costs. An agent caught in a retry loop could make thousands of calls per minute. A rate limit gives you a safety net without blocking legitimate use.

RECOMMENDED POLICY

Read-only tools are safe to allow by default. No rate limit needed unless you want to control costs.

telegram.yaml 
tools:
  searchChannels:
    rules:
      - action: allow

See the full Telegram policy for all 3 tools.

DETAILS

Tool Name

searchChannels

Category

Read

MCP Server

Telegram MCP Server

Risk Level

Low

MORE TELEGRAM TOOLS

listChannels Read
List available Telegram channels and chats
getChannelMessages Read
Retrieve recent messages from a specific channel or chat

SIMILAR READ TOOLS ON OTHER SERVERS

list_bases Airtable
List all accessible Airtable bases
list_tables Airtable
List all tables in a base
list_records Airtable
Retrieve records from a table
get_record Airtable
Get a single record by its ID
search_records Airtable
Find records matching criteria
search Amplitude
Search for charts, dashboards, notebooks, experiments, events, properties, cohorts

RELATED READING

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What does the searchChannels tool do?

Search cached channels by keywords in their names. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Telegram MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.

How do I enforce a policy on searchChannels?

Add a rule in your Intercept YAML policy under the tools section for searchChannels. You can allow, deny, rate-limit, or validate arguments. Then run Intercept as a proxy in front of the Telegram MCP server.

What risk level is searchChannels?

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

Can I rate-limit searchChannels?

Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the searchChannels rule in your Intercept 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 searchChannels completely?

Set action: deny in the Intercept policy for searchChannels. 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 searchChannels?

searchChannels is provided by the Telegram MCP server (telegram-mcp-server). Intercept sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.

ENFORCE POLICIES ON TELEGRAM

Open source. One binary. Zero dependencies.

VIEW ON GITHUB Full Telegram policy →