search_investigations
AI agents call search_investigations to retrieve information from NASA PDS Registry 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 a search operation on investigations in the NASA Planetary Data System Registry. Search operations are read-only queries that retrieve data without side effects. Despite the empty description, the pattern of sibling search tools and the server's stated purpose (search and exploration) strongly indicates this is a retrieval function.
From the tool's definition Tool name is 'search_investigations' and appears alongside sibling tools like 'search_collections', 'search_instruments', and 'search_targets', all of which are query/search operations.
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
search_investigations. It is categorised as a Read tool in the NASA PDS Registry MCP Server MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the NASA PDS Registry MCP Server MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for search_investigations: 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 NASA PDS Registry MCP Server. Nothing to install.
search_investigations 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_investigations 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_investigations. 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_investigations is provided by the NASA PDS Registry MCP Server MCP server (nasa-pds/pds-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.
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