AI agents call search_by_author to retrieve information from BnF API Server without modifying anything — typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
Search tools on a read-only digital library catalog retrieve and query metadata without side effects. No modifications, deletions, code execution, or financial operations are implied.
From the tool's definition Tool name 'search_by_author' paired with sibling tools like 'advanced_search', 'natural_language_search', 'search_by_date', 'search_by_document_type', 'search_by_subject', and 'search_by_title' on a library search server (Gallica digital library).
Documented attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access search_by_author gives an agent:
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway — it sits between your AI agents and BnF API Server, and nothing reaches the server without passing your rules. This is the rule we recommend for search_by_author:
{
"version": "1",
"default": "deny",
"tools": {
"search_by_author": {}
}
}search_by_author is read-only, so it stays allowed — but everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.
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search_by_author. It is categorised as a Read tool in the BnF API Server MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the BnF API Server MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for search_by_author: 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 BnF API Server. Nothing to install.
search_by_author 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_by_author 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_by_author. 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_by_author is provided by the BnF API Server MCP server (kryzo/mcp-bibliotheque_nationale_de_france). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
Start from BnF API Server, add the rest of your stack, and see everything your agents can call. Then put policy on all of it.
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8 BnF API Server tools catalogued and risk-classified — across an index of 43,000+ MCP servers.