Retrieve concise document summaries (DocSums) for UIDs from any Entrez database. Essential for getting key metadata like titles, authors, dates before deciding whether to fetch full records. Core Entrez engine function.
AI agents call esummary to retrieve information from Entrez MCP Server without modifying anything — typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
esummary performs a retrieval operation on biomedical literature and data metadata without creating, modifying, deleting, or executing any code. It is a classic Read operation that queries the NCBI Entrez database and returns summaries. No side effects are possible. The tool is designed to help users explore data before deeper retrieval, which is characteristic of a safe Read operation.
From the tool's definition Tool description states it 'Retrieve[s] concise document summaries (DocSums)' and is used for 'getting key metadata like titles, authors, dates before deciding whether to fetch full records.' The verb is retrieve and the function is read-only query of…
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
Retrieve concise document summaries (DocSums) for UIDs from any Entrez database. Essential for getting key metadata like titles, authors, dates before deciding whether to fetch full records. Core Entrez engine function. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Entrez MCP Server MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the Entrez MCP Server MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for esummary: 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 Entrez MCP Server. Nothing to install.
esummary 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 esummary 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 esummary. 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.
esummary is provided by the Entrez MCP Server MCP server (leongxj123/entrez-mcp-server). 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.
Type a name, get the same breakdown: verified identity, auth posture, risk grade, capabilities, recommended policy.
Teams ship this data inside their own products. See what a licence covers →