search_recent_awards
AI agents call search_recent_awards to retrieve information from NIH Reporter MCP Server without modifying anything — typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
This tool searches and retrieves information about recent NIH awards—a read-only operation with no side effects. It queries existing data without modifying, deleting, or executing external operations. The blast radius of misuse is minimal (at worst, excessive API calls or information disclosure of public research data).
From the tool's definition Tool name 'search_recent_awards' combined with server context indicating programmatic access to NIH Reporter API for 'searching and retrieving detailed information' on NIH-funded research projects.
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
search_recent_awards. It is categorised as a Read tool in the NIH Reporter MCP Server MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the NIH Reporter MCP Server MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for search_recent_awards: 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 NIH Reporter MCP Server. Nothing to install.
search_recent_awards 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 search_recent_awards 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 search_recent_awards. 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.
search_recent_awards is provided by the NIH Reporter MCP Server MCP server (jhalsey87/mcp_nih_reporter). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
Every MCP server has a record like this.
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