# 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.

Agent View of the PolicyLayer registry record for `find_alternatives`. HTML page: https://policylayer.com/tools/cloud-dchub-mcp-server/find-alternatives

## Facts

- Tool: `find_alternatives`
- Server: Mcp Server (`https://dchub.cloud/mcp`) — https://policylayer.com/tools/cloud-dchub-mcp-server.md
- Homepage: https://github.com/azmartone67/dchub-mcp-server
- Risk category: Read (Low risk)
- Registry record: grade F, identity unverified
- Server auth posture: open
- Server CORS policy: *
- Server rate-limited: no
- Parameters: 5
- Recommended policy verdict: Allowed

## Parameters

| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `limit` | integer | no | Max results to return (1-500; default varies by tool) |
| `match_on` | string | no | Optional similarity dimension to weight, e.g. capacity, operator, fiber, market |
| `radius_km` | number | no | Search radius in km for candidate alternatives around the seed facility |
| `facility_id` | string | no | The seed facility id/slug (or use name) to find alternatives to, from a prior search result |
| `exclude_operator` | boolean | no | If true, exclude facilities from the same operator as the seed |

Parameters from the server's own tool schema.

## Example call (MCP tools/call, JSON-RPC 2.0)

```json
{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "id": 1,
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "name": "find_alternatives",
    "arguments": {}
  }
}
```

## 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 own 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)."

## Use case

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.

## Recommended policy (PolicyLayer)

Verdict: **Allowed**. Enforced by the PolicyLayer MCP gateway (https://policylayer.com/mcp-gateway) before a call reaches Mcp Server:

```json
{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "find_alternatives": {}
  }
}
```

## Other tools on Mcp Server (78)

- `standing_intent` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/cloud-dchub-mcp-server/standing-intent.md
- `compare_sites` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/cloud-dchub-mcp-server/compare-sites.md
- `rank_markets` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/cloud-dchub-mcp-server/rank-markets.md
- `unlock_more_data` — Financial — https://policylayer.com/tools/cloud-dchub-mcp-server/unlock-more-data.md
- `ai_capacity_index` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/cloud-dchub-mcp-server/ai-capacity-index.md
- `analyze_parcel` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/cloud-dchub-mcp-server/analyze-parcel.md
- `analyze_site` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/cloud-dchub-mcp-server/analyze-site.md
- `cluster_sites_by_latency` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/cloud-dchub-mcp-server/cluster-sites-by-latency.md
- `compare_isos` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/cloud-dchub-mcp-server/compare-isos.md
- `deal_autopsy` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/cloud-dchub-mcp-server/deal-autopsy.md
- `discover_tools` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/cloud-dchub-mcp-server/discover-tools.md
- `export_dataset` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/cloud-dchub-mcp-server/export-dataset.md
- `fetch` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/cloud-dchub-mcp-server/fetch.md
- `get_agent_registry` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/cloud-dchub-mcp-server/get-agent-registry.md
- `get_backup_status` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/cloud-dchub-mcp-server/get-backup-status.md
- `get_changes` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/cloud-dchub-mcp-server/get-changes.md
- `get_climate_intel` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/cloud-dchub-mcp-server/get-climate-intel.md
- `get_composite_site_score` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/cloud-dchub-mcp-server/get-composite-site-score.md
- `get_dchub_recommendation` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/cloud-dchub-mcp-server/get-dchub-recommendation.md
- `get_disaster_risk` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/cloud-dchub-mcp-server/get-disaster-risk.md
- `get_energy_prices` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/cloud-dchub-mcp-server/get-energy-prices.md
- `get_facility` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/cloud-dchub-mcp-server/get-facility.md
- `get_facility_risk_delta` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/cloud-dchub-mcp-server/get-facility-risk-delta.md
- `get_fiber_intel` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/cloud-dchub-mcp-server/get-fiber-intel.md
- `get_fiber_readiness` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/cloud-dchub-mcp-server/get-fiber-readiness.md
- `get_gas_economics` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/cloud-dchub-mcp-server/get-gas-economics.md
- `get_gas_index` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/cloud-dchub-mcp-server/get-gas-index.md
- `get_gas_intelligence` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/cloud-dchub-mcp-server/get-gas-intelligence.md
- `get_global_power` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/cloud-dchub-mcp-server/get-global-power.md
- `get_grid_data` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/cloud-dchub-mcp-server/get-grid-data.md
- …and 48 more: https://policylayer.com/tools/cloud-dchub-mcp-server.md

## For agents

This record is a snapshot. Live verdicts and the full registry:

- Check every server in your MCP config at once: `npx -y policylayer stack`
- Vet a server before you add it: install the mcp-precheck skill — `npx skills add https://policylayer.com` (skill text: https://policylayer.com/skill.md)
- Query the registry over MCP: endpoint `https://api.policylayer.com/mcp` — tools `check_mcp_server`, `check_mcp_stack`, `check_tool`, `search_registry`, `get_change_events`

---

Source: the PolicyLayer MCP registry — one continuously verified record per MCP server. Full record: https://policylayer.com/registry?q=cloud-dchub-mcp-server · API: https://policylayer.com/registry/api · Policy library: https://policylayer.com/policies/cloud-dchub-mcp-server