paper_details
Get full catalog metadata for a single scholarly work by OpenAlex id (e.g. 'W2741809807') or DOI (e.g. '10.1038/nature12373'). Returns title, authors, venue, year, citation count, open-access status, and a free full-text URL when available. For a bare arXiv id, use paper_get_text with paper_key '...
This record as markdown: /tools/io-github-blackboxfoundry-livedatalink/paper-details.md
What paper_details does on Livedatalink
AI agents call paper_details 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.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
id | string | Yes | OpenAlex id ('W...') or DOI ('10.x/...'). For arXiv ids, use paper_get_text or paper_search instead. |
Parameters from the server's own tool schema.
Why paper_details is rated Low
Even though paper_details only reads data, uncontrolled read access leaks sensitive information and racks up API costs: an agent caught in a retry loop can make thousands of calls a minute without anyone noticing.
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
The rule that runs paper_details safely
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway: it sits between your AI agents and Livedatalink, and checks every tool call against a rule you set before the call runs. Nothing changes on the server itself. For paper_details, this is the rule to start with:
paper_details 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 Livedatalink, apply this rule, and every paper_details call is checked against it from then on.
Questions about paper_details
Get full catalog metadata for a single scholarly work by OpenAlex id (e.g. 'W2741809807') or DOI (e.g. '10.1038/nature12373'). Returns title, authors, venue, year, citation count, open-access status, and a free full-text URL when available. For a bare arXiv id, use paper_get_text with paper_key 'arxiv:<id>' to read indexed text, or paper_search by title for OpenAlex metadata. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Livedatalink MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
paper_details accepts 1 parameter: id. Required: id. The full parameter table on this page comes from the server's own tool schema.
Register the Livedatalink MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for paper_details: 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 Livedatalink. Nothing to install.
paper_details 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 paper_details 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 paper_details. 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.
paper_details is provided by the Livedatalink MCP server (https://livedatalink.ai/mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
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