opensky.traffic.states_bbox
Retrieve real-time ADS-B state vectors for all aircraft currently within a geographic bounding box. Returns ICAO24 transponder address, callsign, origin country, position (lat/lon), barometric altitude, velocity, heading, vertical rate, squawk code, and position source (ADS-B/MLAT/FLARM). Data is...
This record as markdown: /tools/io-github-whiteknightonhorse-apibase/opensky.traffic.states-bbox.md
What opensky.traffic.states_bbox does on Apibase
AI agents call opensky.traffic.states_bbox 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
lamax | number | Yes | Maximum latitude of the bounding box in decimal degrees (e.g. 55.0) |
lamin | number | Yes | Minimum latitude of the bounding box in decimal degrees (e.g. 47.0) |
limit | integer | — | Maximum number of aircraft to return (default 100, max 1000) |
lomax | number | Yes | Maximum longitude of the bounding box in decimal degrees (e.g. 15.0) |
lomin | number | Yes | Minimum longitude of the bounding box in decimal degrees (e.g. 5.0) |
Parameters from the server's own tool schema.
Why opensky.traffic.states_bbox is rated Low
Tool retrieves and queries publicly available aircraft tracking data with no side effects or modifications.
From the tool's definition Retrieve real-time ADS-B state vectors for all aircraft within geographic bounding box.
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
The rule that runs opensky.traffic.states_bbox 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 opensky.traffic.states_bbox, this is the rule to start with:
opensky.traffic.states_bbox 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 opensky.traffic.states_bbox call is checked against it from then on.
Questions about opensky.traffic.states_bbox
Retrieve real-time ADS-B state vectors for all aircraft currently within a geographic bounding box. Returns ICAO24 transponder address, callsign, origin country, position (lat/lon), barometric altitude, velocity, heading, vertical rate, squawk code, and position source (ADS-B/MLAT/FLARM). Data is updated every ~10 seconds from the OpenSky community network of ~5,000 ADS-B receivers. Specify lamin/lomin/lamax/lomax in decimal degrees. Limit per call: 1,000 aircraft (use smaller bbox for dense airspace). Source: OpenSky Network — opensky-network.org. No auth, open access. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Apibase MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
opensky.traffic.states_bbox accepts 5 parameters: lamax, lamin, limit, lomax, lomin. Required: lamax, lamin, lomax, lomin. 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 opensky.traffic.states_bbox: 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.
opensky.traffic.states_bbox 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 opensky.traffic.states_bbox 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 opensky.traffic.states_bbox. 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.
opensky.traffic.states_bbox 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.
More on Apibase, and thousands of servers like it.
This server
Across the catalogue