Check if a PMC article is available in the Open Access subset and get download links for full-text content. Works with PMC IDs, PubMed IDs, or DOIs.
AI agents call pmc_oa_service 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.
This tool performs read-only operations: checking availability status and retrieving download links for publicly available biomedical literature. There are no side effects, no data modification, no code execution, and no irreversible actions. It is a straightforward information retrieval function that queries metadata and returns URLs.
From the tool's definition Tool description states it 'Check[s] if a PMC article is available' and 'get[s] download links for full-text content'. These are query and retrieval operations with no modification, deletion, or execution of code.
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
Check if a PMC article is available in the Open Access subset and get download links for full-text content. Works with PMC IDs, PubMed IDs, or DOIs. 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 pmc_oa_service: 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.
pmc_oa_service 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 pmc_oa_service 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 pmc_oa_service. 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.
pmc_oa_service 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 →