# nasa-cmr.datasets.search

Search NASA Common Metadata Repository (CMR) for Earth science satellite datasets and collections. Filter by keyword, data provider (ORNL_DAAC, GES_DISC, LPDAAC_ECS, PODAAC, NSIDC_ECS), temporal range, spatial bounding box, and processing level. Returns concept IDs, titles, summaries, data centers, temporal coverage, and access flags. CMR indexes 45,000+ collections covering climate, land, atmosphere, ocean, cryosphere, and biosphere from 60+ NASA data archives. Concept IDs from results feed into nasa-cmr.datasets.detail and nasa-cmr.granules.search. Source: NASA CMR — US Gov public domain, no auth required.

Agent View of the PolicyLayer registry record for `nasa-cmr.datasets.search`. HTML page: https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-whiteknightonhorse-apibase/nasa-cmr.datasets.search

## Facts

- Tool: `nasa-cmr.datasets.search`
- Server: Apibase (`apibase-mcp-client`) — https://policylayer.com/tools/io-github-whiteknightonhorse-apibase.md
- Install: `npx -y apibase-mcp-client`
- Homepage: https://github.com/whiteknightonhorse/APIbase
- Risk category: Read (Low risk)
- Registry record: grade F, identity unverified
- Server auth posture: open
- Server rate-limited: no
- Parameters: 9
- Recommended policy verdict: Allowed

## Parameters

| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `bbox` | string | no | Bounding box spatial filter as "west,south,east,north" decimal degrees (e.g. "-180,-90,180,90" for global, "-125,24,-66,50" for continental US). Returns collect |
| `keyword` | string | no | Free-text keyword to search collection titles, summaries, and metadata (e.g. "sea surface temperature", "MODIS land cover", "global precipitation"). |
| `provider` | string | no | Filter by NASA data center / archive provider ID (e.g. "GES_DISC", "ORNL_DAAC", "LPDAAC_ECS", "PODAAC", "NSIDC_ECS"). Use nasa-cmr.providers.list to discover av |
| `sort_key` | string | no | Sort order for results: "-score" (relevance, default), "entry_title" / "-entry_title" (alphabetical), "start_date" / "-start_date" (temporal coverage start date |
| `page_size` | integer | no | Number of collections to return per page (1–20, default 10). |
| `short_name` | string | no | Exact collection short name identifier (e.g. "MOD13A2", "GPM_3IMERGHHE"). Use when you know the specific dataset short name. |
| `temporal_end` | string | no | End of temporal coverage filter in ISO 8601 UTC format (e.g. "2023-12-31T23:59:59Z"). Returns collections whose temporal extent overlaps this range. |
| `temporal_start` | string | no | Start of temporal coverage filter in ISO 8601 UTC format (e.g. "2020-01-01T00:00:00Z"). Returns collections whose temporal extent overlaps this range. |
| `processing_level` | string | no | NASA data processing level filter (e.g. "1B", "2", "3", "4"). Level 1 = raw/calibrated; Level 2 = geophysical retrievals; Level 3 = gridded; Level 4 = model out |

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": "nasa-cmr.datasets.search",
    "arguments": {}
  }
}
```

## Why nasa-cmr.datasets.search is rated Low

Tool queries public NASA satellite metadata and returns results only; no side effects, modifications, or external operations triggered.

From the tool's own definition: "Search NASA CMR for Earth science satellite datasets. Filter by keyword, provider, temporal range, spatial bounding box. Returns concept IDs, titles, summaries."

## Use case

AI agents call nasa-cmr.datasets.search to retrieve information from Apibase 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 Apibase:

```json
{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "nasa-cmr.datasets.search": {}
  }
}
```

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## 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-whiteknightonhorse-apibase · API: https://policylayer.com/registry/api · Policy library: https://policylayer.com/policies/io-github-whiteknightonhorse-apibase