Search Europe PMC, a broad open-access biomedical corpus. Surfaces preprints (source: PPR), patents (source: PAT), Agricola (source: AGR), plus everything in PubMed (MED) and PMC. Use when additional coverage is needed — preprints and EPMC-only OA records are the typical recovery. Paginate via cu...
Risk signalsAccepts freeform code/query input (query) · Bulk/mass operation — affects multiple targets
Part of the Pubmed server.
Free to start. No card required.
AI agents call pubmed_europepmc_search to retrieve information from Pubmed without modifying any data. This is common in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows where the agent needs context before taking action. Because read operations don't change state, they are generally safe to allow without restrictions -- but you may still want rate limits to control API costs.
Even though pubmed_europepmc_search only reads data, uncontrolled read access can leak sensitive information or rack up API costs. An agent caught in a retry loop could make thousands of calls per minute. A rate limit gives you a safety net without blocking legitimate use.
Read-only tools are safe to allow by default. No rate limit needed unless you want to control costs.
{
"version": "1",
"default": "deny",
"tools": {
"pubmed_europepmc_search": {}
}
}See the full Pubmed policy for all 10 tools.
These attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access pubmed_europepmc_search gives an agent. Each links to the full case and the policy that stops it:
Other read tools across the catalogue. The same approach applies to each: allow, with a rate cap to control cost.
Search Europe PMC, a broad open-access biomedical corpus. Surfaces preprints (source: PPR), patents (source: PAT), Agricola (source: AGR), plus everything in PubMed (MED) and PMC. Use when additional coverage is needed — preprints and EPMC-only OA records are the typical recovery. Paginate via cursorMark. Defaults to MED, PMC, and PPR; pass sources to include PAT / AGR.. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Pubmed MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the Pubmed MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for pubmed_europepmc_search: 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 Pubmed. Nothing to install.
pubmed_europepmc_search 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 pubmed_europepmc_search 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 pubmed_europepmc_search. 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.
pubmed_europepmc_search is provided by the Pubmed MCP server (@cyanheads/pubmed-mcp-server). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
Deterministic rules across all 10 Pubmed tools. Per-identity grants. Full audit log. Live in minutes. Nothing to install.
Free to start. No card required.
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