Attempt to download PDF of a PubMed paper. Args: paper_id: PubMed ID (PMID). save_path: Directory to save the PDF (default: './downloads'). Returns: str: Message indicating that direct PDF download is not supported.
AI agents call download_pubmed to retrieve information from Paper Search MCP without modifying anything — typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
This is a retrieval operation for publicly available academic papers. It fetches (reads) existing papers from a public repository without creating, modifying, deleting, executing code, or moving financial value. While it saves files locally, this is a standard read/download operation analogous to searching and retrieving data.
From the tool's definition Tool downloads academic papers from PubMed. The description explicitly states it 'Attempt to download PDF of a PubMed paper' with arguments for paper_id and save_path. Returns indicate direct PDF download functionality.
Documented attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access download_pubmed gives an agent:
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway — it sits between your AI agents and Paper Search MCP, and nothing reaches the server without passing your rules. This is the rule we recommend for download_pubmed:
{
"version": "1",
"default": "deny",
"tools": {
"download_pubmed": {}
}
}download_pubmed is read-only, so it stays allowed — but everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.
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Attempt to download PDF of a PubMed paper. Args: paper_id: PubMed ID (PMID). save_path: Directory to save the PDF (default: './downloads'). Returns: str: Message indicating that direct PDF download is not supported. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Paper Search MCP MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the Paper Search MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for download_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 Paper Search MCP. Nothing to install.
download_pubmed 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 download_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.
Set action: deny in the PolicyLayer policy for download_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.
download_pubmed is provided by the Paper Search MCP server (openags/paper-search-mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
Deterministic rules across all 63 Paper Search MCP tools. Per-identity grants. Full audit log. Live in minutes. Nothing to install.
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63 Paper Search MCP tools catalogued and risk-classified — across an index of 42,500+ MCP servers.