find_alternatives
Use when a user likes ONE specific facility and wants similar nearby options to consider instead ("what else looks like this?"). Example: "Find alternatives to the Ashburn QTS campus for about 50MW." — find_alternatives facility_id=<id>. Params: facility_id or name (the target, required); optiona...
This record as markdown: /tools/cloud-dchub-mcp-server/find-alternatives.md
What find_alternatives does on Mcp Server
AI agents call find_alternatives to retrieve information from Mcp Server 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
limit | integer | — | Max results to return (1-500; default varies by tool) |
match_on | string | — | Optional similarity dimension to weight, e.g. capacity, operator, fiber, market |
radius_km | number | — | Search radius in km for candidate alternatives around the seed facility |
facility_id | string | — | The seed facility id/slug (or use name) to find alternatives to, from a prior search result |
exclude_operator | boolean | — | If true, exclude facilities from the same operator as the seed |
Parameters from the server's own tool schema.
Why find_alternatives is rated Low
find_alternatives retrieves and ranks existing facility records based on similarity criteria. It has no side effects, does not execute external operations, does not modify or delete data, and does not involve financial commitments. This is a straightforward search/discovery tool appropriate for the Read category with low severity risk.
From the tool's definition Tool description states it 'Returns: ranked alternatives' and 'DISCOVERS candidates' — pure query and retrieval of facility data. Parameters are read-only (facility_id, name, capacity_mw, radius_km, limit).
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
The rule that runs find_alternatives safely
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway: it sits between your AI agents and Mcp Server, and checks every tool call against a rule you set before the call runs. Nothing changes on the server itself. For find_alternatives, this is the rule to start with:
find_alternatives is read-only, so it stays allowed. Everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.
The button opens the PolicyLayer dashboard: create your workspace, connect Mcp Server, apply this rule, and every find_alternatives call is checked against it from then on.
Questions about find_alternatives
Use when a user likes ONE specific facility and wants similar nearby options to consider instead ("what else looks like this?"). Example: "Find alternatives to the Ashburn QTS campus for about 50MW." — find_alternatives facility_id=<id>. Params: facility_id or name (the target, required); optional capacity_mw, radius_km, limit. Returns: ranked alternatives, each with similarity_score, match_reasons, and key_differences versus the target. Do NOT use to score one site (use score_facility or analyze_site) or to compare a known short-list head-to-head (use compare_sites); this DISCOVERS candidates from a single seed facility. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Mcp Server MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
find_alternatives accepts 5 parameters: limit, match_on, radius_km, facility_id, exclude_operator. The full parameter table on this page comes from the server's own tool schema.
Register the Mcp Server 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 Mcp Server. 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 Mcp Server MCP server (https://dchub.cloud/mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
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