ncbi-eutils.taxonomy.search
Search the NCBI Taxonomy database by organism scientific or common name (e.g. "Panthera leo" or "African elephant"). Returns matching NCBI TaxIDs plus the query translation NCBI actually ran. Use a returned tax_id with ncbi-eutils.taxonomy_summary or ncbi-eutils.taxonomy_lineage. Data: eutils.ncb...
This record as markdown: /tools/io-github-whiteknightonhorse-apibase/ncbi-eutils.taxonomy.search.md
What ncbi-eutils.taxonomy.search does on Apibase
AI agents call ncbi-eutils.taxonomy.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.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
query | string | Yes | Organism name to search NCBI Taxonomy for — scientific (e.g. "Panthera leo") or common name (e.g. "African elephant") |
retmax | integer | — | Maximum number of matching TaxIDs to return (1-50, default 20) |
Parameters from the server's own tool schema.
Why ncbi-eutils.taxonomy.search is rated Low
Tool queries public NCBI taxonomy database and returns read-only results; no data modification or side effects.
From the tool's definition Search the NCBI Taxonomy database by organism scientific or common name. Returns matching NCBI TaxIDs.
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
The rule that runs ncbi-eutils.taxonomy.search safely
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway: it sits between your AI agents and Apibase, and checks every tool call against a rule you set before the call runs. Nothing changes on the server itself. For ncbi-eutils.taxonomy.search, this is the rule to start with:
ncbi-eutils.taxonomy.search 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 Apibase, apply this rule, and every ncbi-eutils.taxonomy.search call is checked against it from then on.
Questions about ncbi-eutils.taxonomy.search
Search the NCBI Taxonomy database by organism scientific or common name (e.g. "Panthera leo" or "African elephant"). Returns matching NCBI TaxIDs plus the query translation NCBI actually ran. Use a returned tax_id with ncbi-eutils.taxonomy_summary or ncbi-eutils.taxonomy_lineage. Data: eutils.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov (US National Library of Medicine, public domain), no auth required. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Apibase MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
ncbi-eutils.taxonomy.search accepts 2 parameters: query, retmax. Required: query. The full parameter table on this page comes from the server's own tool schema.
Register the Apibase MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for ncbi-eutils.taxonomy.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 Apibase. Nothing to install.
ncbi-eutils.taxonomy.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 ncbi-eutils.taxonomy.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 ncbi-eutils.taxonomy.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.
ncbi-eutils.taxonomy.search is provided by the Apibase MCP server (apibase-mcp-client). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
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