# search_policies

Search U.S. federal policies and legislation by keyword, topic, or bill name. Returns a list of matching policies with summaries.

Agent View of the PolicyLayer registry record for `search_policies`. HTML page: https://policylayer.com/tools/com-govbase-govbase/search-policies

## Facts

- Tool: `search_policies`
- Server: Govbase (`https://api.govbase.com/mcp`) — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-govbase-govbase.md
- Homepage: https://github.com/govbase-inc/govbase
- Risk category: Read (Low risk)
- Registry record: grade D, identity unverified
- Server auth posture: open
- Server rate-limited: yes
- Parameters: 3 (1 required)
- Recommended policy verdict: Allowed

## Parameters

| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `sort` | string | no | Sort order |
| `limit` | number | no | Number of results (max 25) |
| `query` | string | yes | Search query (bill name, topic, keyword) |

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": "search_policies",
    "arguments": {
      "query": "<query>"
    }
  }
}
```

## Why search_policies is rated Low

This is a query/search function that retrieves publicly available federal policy data. It has no side effects, does not modify state, and poses minimal risk if misused by an AI agent—worst case being irrelevant or exhaustive search results. It belongs in the Read category with low severity.

From the tool's own definition: "Tool description states it 'Search[es] U.S. federal policies and legislation' and 'Returns a list of matching policies with summaries.' The verb 'search' combined with 'returns' indicates data retrieval only."

## Use case

AI agents call search_policies to retrieve information from Govbase 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 Govbase:

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

## Other tools on Govbase (11)

- `get_effort` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-govbase-govbase/get-effort.md
- `get_member` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-govbase-govbase/get-member.md
- `get_member_vote` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-govbase-govbase/get-member-vote.md
- `get_policy` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-govbase-govbase/get-policy.md
- `get_policy_text` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-govbase-govbase/get-policy-text.md
- `get_representatives` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-govbase-govbase/get-representatives.md
- `get_stories` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-govbase-govbase/get-stories.md
- `get_story` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-govbase-govbase/get-story.md
- `get_voter_info` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-govbase-govbase/get-voter-info.md
- `resolve_effort` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-govbase-govbase/resolve-effort.md
- `search_members` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-govbase-govbase/search-members.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=com-govbase-govbase · API: https://policylayer.com/registry/api · Policy library: https://policylayer.com/policies/com-govbase-govbase