socrata.datasets.search
Search the Socrata Discovery API — a single cross-portal catalog covering thousands of independently-hosted government/civic open-data portals worldwide (NYC, HHS, states, counties, and more) — by free-text query, portal domain, category, and/or tags. Returns each dataset's id, name, description,...
This record as markdown: /tools/io-github-whiteknightonhorse-apibase/socrata.datasets.search.md
What socrata.datasets.search does on Apibase
AI agents call socrata.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.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
only | string | — | Asset type to return (default "dataset") |
tags | string | — | Comma-separated tag filter, e.g. "budget,finance" |
limit | integer | — | Max results to return, 1-50 (default 10) |
query | string | — | Free-text search across dataset name/description/tags, e.g. "covid" or "budget" |
offset | integer | — | Pagination offset (default 0) |
domains | string | — | Comma-separated Socrata portal hostname(s) to scope the search to, e.g. "data.cityofnewyork.us" |
category | string | — | Filter by Socrata domain category, e.g. "Health", "Transportation", "Public Safety" |
Parameters from the server's own tool schema.
Why socrata.datasets.search is rated Low
Tool queries public open-data catalog and returns dataset information without side effects.
From the tool's definition Search Socrata Discovery API, returns dataset metadata, no auth required.
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
The rule that runs socrata.datasets.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 socrata.datasets.search, this is the rule to start with:
socrata.datasets.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 socrata.datasets.search call is checked against it from then on.
Questions about socrata.datasets.search
Search the Socrata Discovery API — a single cross-portal catalog covering thousands of independently-hosted government/civic open-data portals worldwide (NYC, HHS, states, counties, and more) — by free-text query, portal domain, category, and/or tags. Returns each dataset's id, name, description, hosting domain, category, tags, license, and URL. Use the returned domain + id with socrata.dataset_metadata or socrata.query_dataset. Data: api.us.socrata.com, no auth required. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Apibase MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
socrata.datasets.search accepts 7 parameters: only, tags, limit, query, offset, domains, category. 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 socrata.datasets.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.
socrata.datasets.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 socrata.datasets.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 socrata.datasets.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.
socrata.datasets.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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