openalex.works.search
Search 250M+ scholarly works (journal articles, books, preprints, datasets) by title, abstract, or full text. Returns OpenAlex ID, DOI, title, authors, publication year, open-access status, citation count, and primary research topic. Complements crossref.works_search (which returns publisher-regi...
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What openalex.works.search does on Apibase
AI agents call openalex.works.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 | Search query across title, abstract, and full text (e.g. "climate change") |
per_page | integer | — | Number of results to return (1-25, default 10) |
Parameters from the server's own tool schema.
Why openalex.works.search is rated Low
Tool retrieves bibliographic data without side effects, modifications, or external operations.
From the tool's definition Search 250M+ scholarly works by title, abstract, or full text. Returns metadata, no modifications.
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
The rule that runs openalex.works.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 openalex.works.search, this is the rule to start with:
openalex.works.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 openalex.works.search call is checked against it from then on.
Questions about openalex.works.search
Search 250M+ scholarly works (journal articles, books, preprints, datasets) by title, abstract, or full text. Returns OpenAlex ID, DOI, title, authors, publication year, open-access status, citation count, and primary research topic. Complements crossref.works_search (which returns publisher-registered bibliographic metadata) with OpenAlex's broader citation graph and topic classification. Call openalex.get_work with a result ID or DOI for full detail. Data: api.openalex.org, no auth required, CC0 metadata. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Apibase MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
openalex.works.search 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 Apibase MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for openalex.works.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.
openalex.works.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 openalex.works.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 openalex.works.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.
openalex.works.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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