search_pubmed

THE RISK

Low Risk

Why search_pubmed needs a policy

This tool queries a public biomedical literature database and retrieves metadata. It performs no side effects, does not modify data, execute code, delete information, or involve financial operations. The blast radius of misuse is minimal—an agent could retrieve irrelevant or excessive literature metadata, but this causes no harm to systems or data integrity.

From the tool's definition Tool description states it "Search[es] PubMed for biomedical literature metadata" and "Returns titles, authors, journal, publication date, article type, and DOI" — all read-only retrieval operations with no modification or execution capabilities.

Documented attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access search_pubmed gives an agent:

POLICY

How to control search_pubmed

PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway — it sits between your AI agents and MedSci Agent, and nothing reaches the server without passing your rules. This is the rule we recommend for search_pubmed:

policy.json

{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "search_pubmed": {}
  }
}

search_pubmed is read-only, so it stays allowed — but everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.

Create a free account and register MedSci Agent — nothing to install.
Add this policy — paste it, or build it visually.
Point your MCP client (Claude, Cursor, anything) at your gateway URL.

CAP THIS TOOL →

Free to start. No card required.

EXPLORE

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Go deeper

The MCP Attack Database → Documented attack patterns against MCP deployments — and the policies that stop them.
Data exfiltration → How read access becomes an exfiltration channel when chained with untrusted content.
MCP token cost → What connecting this server costs in context-window tokens on every request.
Rate Limiting MCP Tool Calls: A Practical Guide →
MCP Security: Why Prompt Guardrails Aren't Enough →

FAQ

Questions about search_pubmed

What does the search_pubmed tool do? +

Search PubMed for biomedical literature metadata. Returns titles, authors, journal, publication date, article type, and DOI when available. It is categorised as a Read tool in the MedSci Agent MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.

How do I enforce a policy on search_pubmed? +

Register the MedSci Agent MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for search_pubmed: 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 MedSci Agent. Nothing to install.

What risk level is search_pubmed? +

search_pubmed is a Read tool with low risk. Read-only tools are generally safe to allow by default.

Can I rate-limit search_pubmed? +

Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the search_pubmed 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.

How do I block search_pubmed completely? +

Set action: deny in the PolicyLayer policy for search_pubmed. 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.

What MCP server provides search_pubmed? +

search_pubmed is provided by the MedSci Agent MCP server (omar-a-hassan/medsci-agent). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.

Enforce policy on every MedSci Agent tool call.

Start from MedSci Agent, add the rest of your stack, and see everything your agents can call. Then put policy on all of it.

CHECK YOUR STACK →