# vam.collections.search

Search 1M+ objects in the Victoria and Albert Museum collection by keyword, object type, date range, and display status. Returns object type, title, maker, date, place of origin, thumbnail URL, and IIIF image base for each result. Filter by on_display=true to find objects currently on display in London. Source: V&A public API (no auth required).

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

## Facts

- Tool: `vam.collections.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: 7
- Recommended policy verdict: Allowed

## Parameters

| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `page` | integer | no | Page number for paginating through results (default 1). |
| `query` | string | no | Keyword search across titles, descriptions, maker names, and materials (e.g. "teapot", "William Morris", "silk embroidery"). Leave empty to browse all objects. |
| `year_to` | integer | no | Latest production year filter (e.g. 1850). |
| `page_size` | integer | no | Number of results per page (1-30, default 10). |
| `year_from` | integer | no | Earliest production year filter (e.g. 1750). |
| `on_display` | boolean | no | When true, return only objects currently on display in V&A galleries. When false or omitted, include objects in storage too. |
| `object_type` | string | no | Filter by object type (e.g. "Painting", "Vase", "Tile", "Photograph", "Drawing", "Print", "Textile"). Case-sensitive; use exact V&A category names. |

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": "vam.collections.search",
    "arguments": {}
  }
}
```

## Why vam.collections.search is rated Low

Retrieves museum collection metadata via search query with no side effects or data modification capabilities.

From the tool's own definition: "Search 1M+ objects in Victoria and Albert Museum collection by keyword. Returns object type, title, maker, date, place of origin, thumbnail URL."

## Use case

AI agents call vam.collections.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": {
    "vam.collections.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