search_act

DRILL-DOWN hub. Search ACT conformance-test rules and get the WCAG Success Criteria they cover (the one mechanical ACT→SC bridge), gated to your level. Feed it the terms from an entry point's suggested_queries. Then call get_wcag_sc on the returned SC ids for full requirements.

SERVERA11y Assist SOURCEa11y-assist-mcp

Low RISK CLASS

Category Read

Parameters 21 required

Recommended Allowedsee the rule below

Registry record Grade D, identity unverified Pull the record →

This record as markdown: /tools/a11y-assist-mcp/search-act.md

WHAT IT DOES

What search_act does on A11y Assist

AI agents call search_act to retrieve information from A11y Assist without modifying anything. It is typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`level`	string	—	Conformance level (cumulative). Rules are kept only if they cover a WCAG SC at or below this level; each rule's wcag_sc_ids are trimmed to in-scope SCs.
`query`	string	Yes	A term to match against ACT rule names and applicability text — typically a role name, ARIA attribute, or element from a suggested_query.

Parameters from the server's own tool schema.

RISK

Why search_act is rated Low

Even though search_act only reads data, uncontrolled read access leaks sensitive information and racks up API costs: an agent caught in a retry loop can make thousands of calls a minute without anyone noticing.

Attacks that exploit this kind of access

RECOMMENDED RULE

The rule that runs search_act safely

PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway: it sits between your AI agents and A11y Assist, and checks every tool call against a rule you set before the call runs. Nothing changes on the server itself. For search_act, this is the rule to start with:

search_act Allowed

search_act is read-only, so it stays allowed. Everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.

View as policy code

policy.json

{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "search_act": {}
  }
}

ALLOW ONLY THIS TOOL → Instant setup, no code required.

The button opens the PolicyLayer dashboard: create your workspace, connect A11y Assist, apply this rule, and every search_act call is checked against it from then on.

FAQ

Questions about search_act

What does the search_act tool do? +

What parameters does search_act accept? +

search_act accepts 2 parameters: level, query. Required: query. The full parameter table on this page comes from the server's own tool schema.

How do I enforce a policy on search_act? +

Register the A11y Assist MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for search_act: 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 A11y Assist. Nothing to install.

What risk level is search_act? +

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

Can I rate-limit search_act? +

Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the search_act 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.

How do I block search_act completely? +

Set action: deny in the PolicyLayer policy for search_act. 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 search_act? +

search_act is provided by the A11y Assist MCP server (a11y-assist-mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.

KEEP EXPLORING

More on A11y Assist, and thousands of servers like it.

This server

All 12 A11y Assist tools →

Across the catalogue

binary_search on 010 Editor →evaluate_search_quality on ACE-MCP →search_torrents on M-Team MCP Server →aiva_search_customers on AIVA MCP Server → The MCP Attack Database →

Guides

Roll out MCP under one policy →Data exfiltration →MCP token cost →