Search the APIs.guru directory of 2,500+ public APIs by free-text query. Matches against the API's name/key, its title, description, and categories. Returns a list of matching APIs each with name (the directory key, e.g. "stripe.com" or "googleapis.com:calendar"), title, truncated description, pr...
AI agents call search_apis to retrieve information from Mcp Apis Guru without modifying anything — typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
limit | number | — | Max results to return (default 20). |
query | string | Yes | Free-text search term, e.g. "payments", "calendar", "weather". |
Parameters from the server's own tool schema.
This tool queries a public directory and returns informational results about available APIs. It has no side effects, does not modify data, execute code, or access protected resources. The blast radius of misuse is minimal—an agent could discover APIs but cannot directly invoke them or cause harm through this tool alone.
From the tool's definition Tool description states it "Search[es] the APIs.guru directory" and "Returns a list of matching APIs each with name...
Risk signalsAccepts freeform code/query input (query)
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
Search the APIs.guru directory of 2,500+ public APIs by free-text query. Matches against the API's name/key, its title, description, and categories. Returns a list of matching APIs each with name (the directory key, e.g. "stripe.com" or "googleapis.com:calendar"), title, truncated description, provider, categories, preferred version, last-updated date, docs link, and OpenAPI/Swagger spec URL. Use this to discover which public APIs exist for a given domain (payments, weather, maps, etc.) and to get the exact name to pass to get_api. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Mcp Apis Guru MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
search_apis accepts 2 parameters: limit, query. Required: query. The full parameter table on this page comes from the server's own tool schema.
Register the Mcp Apis Guru MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for search_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 Mcp Apis Guru. Nothing to install.
search_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 search_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 search_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.
search_apis is provided by the Mcp Apis Guru MCP server (https://gateway.pipeworx.io/apis-guru/mcp). 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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