# get_ontology_ancestors

A read tool on the OrigeneMCP MCP server.

Agent View of the PolicyLayer registry record for `get_ontology_ancestors`. HTML page: https://policylayer.com/tools/gentel-lab-origenemcp/get-ontology-ancestors

## Facts

- Tool: `get_ontology_ancestors`
- Server: OrigeneMCP (`gentel-lab/origenemcp`) — https://policylayer.com/tools/gentel-lab-origenemcp.md
- Homepage: https://github.com/GENTEL-lab/OrigeneMCP
- Risk category: Read (Low risk)
- Registry record: grade C, identity unverified
- Server rate-limited: no
- Parameters: 0
- Recommended policy verdict: Allowed

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

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

## Why get_ontology_ancestors is rated Low

The tool appears to query and return ontology hierarchy data without modifying, deleting, or executing external operations. While the empty description reduces confidence slightly, the semantic context of 'get_' prefix and placement among read-only biomedical query tools suggests this retrieves (rather than modifies) ontological relationships. No evidence of side effects, code execution, or data mutation.

From the tool's own definition: "Tool name 'get_ontology_ancestors' indicates a retrieval operation (fetch ancestors from an ontology structure)."

## Use case

AI agents call get_ontology_ancestors to retrieve information from OrigeneMCP 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 OrigeneMCP:

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

## Other tools on OrigeneMCP (438)

- `post_vep_hgvs` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/gentel-lab-origenemcp/post-vep-hgvs.md
- `post_vep_id` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/gentel-lab-origenemcp/post-vep-id.md
- `post_ga4gh_features_search` — Other — https://policylayer.com/tools/gentel-lab-origenemcp/post-ga4gh-features-search.md
- `post_lookup_id` — Other — https://policylayer.com/tools/gentel-lab-origenemcp/post-lookup-id.md
- `check_genome_accessions` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/gentel-lab-origenemcp/check-genome-accessions.md
- `check_virus_accessions` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/gentel-lab-origenemcp/check-virus-accessions.md
- `clinvar_find_single_mutation` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/gentel-lab-origenemcp/clinvar-find-single-mutation.md
- `clinvar_get_best_refseqid_by_sequence` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/gentel-lab-origenemcp/clinvar-get-best-refseqid-by-sequence.md
- `clinvar_query_sequence_variants` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/gentel-lab-origenemcp/clinvar-query-sequence-variants.md
- `clinvar_query_variant_significance` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/gentel-lab-origenemcp/clinvar-query-variant-significance.md
- `depmap_comprehensive_analysis` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/gentel-lab-origenemcp/depmap-comprehensive-analysis.md
- `depmap_get_dependency` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/gentel-lab-origenemcp/depmap-get-dependency.md
- `depmap_get_expression` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/gentel-lab-origenemcp/depmap-get-expression.md
- `depmap_get_mutation` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/gentel-lab-origenemcp/depmap-get-mutation.md
- `ensembl_get_genes_by_band` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/gentel-lab-origenemcp/ensembl-get-genes-by-band.md
- `get_activity` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/gentel-lab-origenemcp/get-activity.md
- `get_activity_by_id` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/gentel-lab-origenemcp/get-activity-by-id.md
- `get_activity_by_ids` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/gentel-lab-origenemcp/get-activity-by-ids.md
- `get_activity_supplementary_data_by_activity` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/gentel-lab-origenemcp/get-activity-supplementary-data-by-activity.md
- `get_activity_supplementary_data_by_activity_by_id` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/gentel-lab-origenemcp/get-activity-supplementary-data-by-activity-by-id.md
- `get_activity_supplementary_data_by_activity_by_ids` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/gentel-lab-origenemcp/get-activity-supplementary-data-by-activity-by-ids.md
- `get_alignment_region` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/gentel-lab-origenemcp/get-alignment-region.md
- `get_all_interaction_partners_of_the_protein_set` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/gentel-lab-origenemcp/get-all-interaction-partners-of-the-protein-set.md
- `get_archive_id` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/gentel-lab-origenemcp/get-archive-id.md
- `get_assay` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/gentel-lab-origenemcp/get-assay.md
- `get_assay_by_id` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/gentel-lab-origenemcp/get-assay-by-id.md
- `get_assay_by_ids` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/gentel-lab-origenemcp/get-assay-by-ids.md
- `get_assay_class` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/gentel-lab-origenemcp/get-assay-class.md
- `get_assay_class_by_id` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/gentel-lab-origenemcp/get-assay-class-by-id.md
- `get_assay_class_by_ids` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/gentel-lab-origenemcp/get-assay-class-by-ids.md
- …and 408 more: https://policylayer.com/tools/gentel-lab-origenemcp.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=gentel-lab-origenemcp · API: https://policylayer.com/registry/api · Policy library: https://policylayer.com/policies/gentel-lab-origenemcp