AI agents call discover_apis to retrieve information from APIClaw without modifying anything — typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
The tool performs a search query against the API index to help agents discover available APIs. This is a read-only operation that retrieves information without modifying, executing external operations, or having financial implications. The search itself has no side effects beyond returning matching results.
From the tool's definition Tool name 'discover_apis' combined with description 'Search APIClaw' indicates a search/discovery operation. The server description contextualizes this as part of semantic search functionality for discovering APIs within the catalog.
Documented attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access discover_apis gives an agent:
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway — it sits between your AI agents and APIClaw, and nothing reaches the server without passing your rules. This is the rule we recommend for discover_apis:
{
"version": "1",
"default": "deny",
"tools": {
"discover_apis": {}
}
}discover_apis is read-only, so it stays allowed — but everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.
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Search APIClaw. It is categorised as a Read tool in the APIClaw MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the APIClaw MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for discover_apis: 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 APIClaw. Nothing to install.
discover_apis 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 discover_apis 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 discover_apis. 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.
discover_apis is provided by the APIClaw MCP server (nordsym/apiclaw). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
Start from APIClaw, add the rest of your stack, and see everything your agents can call. Then put policy on all of it.
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24 APIClaw tools catalogued and risk-classified — across an index of 43,000+ MCP servers.