# open_payments_top

Same filters as open_payments_search but sorted by payment amount descending. Use this to find the LARGEST individual pharma payments by company, state, or specialty.

Agent View of the PolicyLayer registry record for `open_payments_top`. HTML page: https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/open-payments-top

## Facts

- Tool: `open_payments_top`
- Server: Livedatalink (`https://livedatalink.ai/mcp`) — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink.md
- Homepage: https://github.com/blackboxfoundry/livedatalink
- Risk category: Read (Low risk)
- Registry record: grade F, identity unverified
- Server auth posture: open
- Server CORS policy: *
- Server rate-limited: no
- Parameters: 6
- Recommended policy verdict: Allowed

## Parameters

| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `year` | string | no | Program year (auto-discovers latest if omitted, e.g. '2024') |
| `limit` | number | no | Max rows (default 20, max 100) |
| `state` | string | no | Two-letter state code (e.g. 'CA', 'TX') |
| `doctor` | string | no | Doctor last name (case-insensitive) |
| `company` | string | no | Manufacturer/GPO name (partial match), e.g. 'Pfizer', 'Stryker', 'Johnson & Johnson' |
| `specialty` | string | no | Medical specialty (partial), e.g. 'Cardiology', 'Orthopaedic' |

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": "open_payments_top",
    "arguments": {}
  }
}
```

## Why open_payments_top is rated Low

The tool retrieves and sorts existing Open Payments data by amount. It performs no writes, executes no code, and has no destructive or financial side effects. It is a filtered query returning public records.

From the tool's own definition: "'find the LARGEST individual pharma payments' and 'sorted by payment amount descending' — this is a read/query operation on existing public payment data"

## Use case

AI agents call open_payments_top to retrieve information from Livedatalink 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 Livedatalink:

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

## Other tools on Livedatalink (279)

- `beneficial_owner_screen` — Destructive — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/beneficial-owner-screen.md
- `cdc_dataset_query` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/cdc-dataset-query.md
- `clinical_site_selector` — Execute — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/clinical-site-selector.md
- `air_quality` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/air-quality.md
- `bank_health_report` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/bank-health-report.md
- `bls_indicator` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/bls-indicator.md
- `bls_series` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/bls-series.md
- `book_details` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/book-details.md
- `book_fulltext_search` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/book-fulltext-search.md
- `book_get_text` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/book-get-text.md
- `book_search` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/book-search.md
- `book_status` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/book-status.md
- `bounce_scanner` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/bounce-scanner.md
- `candlestick_signals` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/candlestick-signals.md
- `cargo_crate` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/cargo-crate.md
- `carrier_vetting_score` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/carrier-vetting-score.md
- `caselaw_case_details` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/caselaw-case-details.md
- `caselaw_citation_lookup` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/caselaw-citation-lookup.md
- `caselaw_opinion_text` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/caselaw-opinion-text.md
- `caselaw_search` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/caselaw-search.md
- `cdc_drug_overdose_deaths` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/cdc-drug-overdose-deaths.md
- `cdc_excess_deaths_covid` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/cdc-excess-deaths-covid.md
- `cdc_flu_surveillance` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/cdc-flu-surveillance.md
- `cdc_leading_causes_of_death` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/cdc-leading-causes-of-death.md
- `cdc_outbreak_reports` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/cdc-outbreak-reports.md
- `cdc_vaccination_coverage` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/cdc-vaccination-coverage.md
- `cdc_weekly_deaths_by_state` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/cdc-weekly-deaths-by-state.md
- `census_business` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/census-business.md
- `census_commute_employment` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/census-commute-employment.md
- `census_demographics` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/census-demographics.md
- …and 249 more: https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink.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=io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink · API: https://policylayer.com/registry/api · Policy library: https://policylayer.com/policies/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink