openalex_search_authors
Search OpenAlex for academic authors by name.
This record as markdown: /tools/io-github-malamutemayhem-unclick-mcp-server/openalex-search-authors.md
What openalex_search_authors does on UnClick
AI agents call openalex_search_authors to retrieve information from UnClick 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
query | string | Yes | Author name to search. |
per_page | number | — | Results per page (default 5, max 25). |
Parameters from the server's own tool schema.
Why openalex_search_authors is rated Low
This tool performs a search operation (retrieves/queries data) against OpenAlex, a public academic metadata database. It has no side effects—it does not create, modify, delete, or execute any actions. The operation is read-only and limited to searching and returning author records. Severity is low because misuse would only expose publicly available academic information with no blast radius.
From the tool's definition Tool name 'openalex_search_authors' and description 'Search OpenAlex for academic authors by name' indicate a query operation that retrieves publicly available academic author information without modification.
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
The rule that runs openalex_search_authors safely
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway: it sits between your AI agents and UnClick, and checks every tool call against a rule you set before the call runs. Nothing changes on the server itself. For openalex_search_authors, this is the rule to start with:
openalex_search_authors 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 UnClick, apply this rule, and every openalex_search_authors call is checked against it from then on.
Questions about openalex_search_authors
Search OpenAlex for academic authors by name. It is categorised as a Read tool in the UnClick MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
openalex_search_authors accepts 2 parameters: query, per_page. Required: query. The full parameter table on this page comes from the server's own tool schema.
Register the UnClick MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for openalex_search_authors: 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 UnClick. Nothing to install.
openalex_search_authors 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 openalex_search_authors 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 openalex_search_authors. 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.
openalex_search_authors is provided by the UnClick MCP server (@unclick/mcp-server). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
More on UnClick, and thousands of servers like it.
This server
Across the catalogue