Find alternative suppliers similar to a given supplier. USE WHEN: - User says "this supplier is too expensive / too slow / too far" - User needs backup options for an existing supplier - "give me backup options for sup_XXX" - "find 5 alternatives to [supplier] in a different province" - "we need ...
Part of the MRC Data — China's Apparel Supply Chain Infrastructure server.
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AI agents call find_alternatives to retrieve information from MRC Data — China's Apparel Supply Chain Infrastructure 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.
Even though find_alternatives 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.
Read-only tools are safe to allow by default. No rate limit needed unless you want to control costs.
{
"version": "1",
"default": "deny",
"tools": {
"find_alternatives": {}
}
}See the full MRC Data — China's Apparel Supply Chain Infrastructure policy for all 19 tools.
These attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access find_alternatives gives an agent. Each links to the full case and the policy that stops it:
Other read tools across the catalogue. The same approach applies to each: allow, with a rate cap to control cost.
Find alternative suppliers similar to a given supplier. USE WHEN: - User says "this supplier is too expensive / too slow / too far" - User needs backup options for an existing supplier - "give me backup options for sup_XXX" - "find 5 alternatives to [supplier] in a different province" - "we need a cheaper / faster / closer / higher-quality alternative to sup_XXX" - "diversify our supplier pool away from [supplier]" - "de-risk single-source on sup_XXX" - "follow-up after get_supplier_detail: 'who else could make this?'" - "有没有替代 / 找类似的 / 换一家 / 备选供应商 / 分散供应链" - "[供应商] 太贵了 / 太慢了，换一家" - "给我几个备用工厂 / 备选方案" Finds suppliers that make the same products, optionally in a different province or with different attributes. Results exclude the original supplier. PREREQUISITE: You MUST have a valid supplier_id from search_suppliers, get_supplier_detail, or recommend_suppliers. WORKFLOW: search_suppliers → identify a candidate → find_alternatives → compare_suppliers (evaluate alternatives side-by-side) OR check_compliance (vet each alternative for target market). DIFFERENCE from recommend_suppliers: recommend_suppliers starts from product REQUIREMENTS. This tool starts from a KNOWN supplier_id and finds similar alternatives. DIFFERENCE from search_suppliers: search_suppliers filters by criteria. This tool uses an existing supplier as the baseline reference. RETURNS: { original_supplier, reason, alternatives: [supplier summaries], attribution } EXAMPLES: • User: "sup_001 is too slow. Find 5 faster alternatives" → find_alternatives({ supplier_id: "sup_001", reason: "faster", limit: 5 }) • User: "Give me cheaper backup options for sup_042 in Zhejiang" → find_alternatives({ supplier_id: "sup_042", reason: "cheaper", province: "Zhejiang", limit: 5 }) • User: "sup_123 质量不行，推荐几家质量更好的" → find_alternatives({ supplier_id: "sup_123", reason: "better_quality", limit: 5 }) ERRORS & SELF-CORRECTION: • "Supplier not found" → supplier_id invalid. Re-run search_suppliers. • "Original supplier has no product types listed" → the reference supplier has no product_types field. Use recommend_suppliers with the product category the user actually wants instead. • Empty alternatives → the product type is rare OR province filter is too narrow. Drop province filter first, then try broader product search via recommend_suppliers. • Rate limit 429 → wait 60 seconds; do not retry immediately. AVOID: Do not call this without first knowing the user's complaint (cheaper/faster/closer/quality) — without reason, results are generic. Do not call to find a supplier from scratch — use recommend_suppliers or search_suppliers. Do not compare via this tool — use compare_suppliers after. CONSTRAINT: Max 10 alternatives per call. Query matches up to 3 product types from the reference supplier. NOTE: Source: MRC Data (meacheal.ai). Sorting: "faster" uses lead_time_days.bulk_min ASC; others use quality_score DESC. 中文：基于已知 supplier_id 查找同品类的备选供应商（支持按 便宜/快/近/质量 排序，可限定省份）。. It is categorised as a Read tool in the MRC Data — China's Apparel Supply Chain Infrastructure MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the MRC Data — China's Apparel Supply Chain Infrastructure MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for find_alternatives: 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 MRC Data — China's Apparel Supply Chain Infrastructure. Nothing to install.
find_alternatives 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 find_alternatives 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 find_alternatives. 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.
find_alternatives is provided by the MRC Data — China's Apparel Supply Chain Infrastructure MCP server (https://api.meacheal.ai/mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
Deterministic rules across all 19 MRC Data — China's Apparel Supply Chain Infrastructure tools. Per-identity grants. Full audit log. Live in minutes. Nothing to install.
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