Count earthquakes matching a filter without returning the events — fast for questions like "how many M5+ quakes in the last month near X". Same filters as search_earthquakes (time, magnitude, circular area). Keyless.
AI agents call count_earthquakes to retrieve information from Usgs Earthquakes without modifying anything — typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
end_time | string | — | ISO date/time upper bound. Defaults to now. |
latitude | number | — | Center latitude for a circular search. |
longitude | number | — | Center longitude for a circular search. |
start_time | string | — | ISO date/time lower bound. Defaults to 30 days ago. |
max_magnitude | number | — | Maximum magnitude. |
max_radius_km | number | — | Search radius in km around latitude/longitude. |
min_magnitude | number | — | Minimum magnitude (e.g. 5 for M5+). |
Parameters from the server's own tool schema.
This is a pure read operation: it queries the USGS Earthquake Catalog and returns only a count, with no side effects. The description explicitly states it returns no events and serves informational purposes ('fast for questions like'). No data is created, modified, deleted, or executed. The keyless nature confirms it is a simple read API.
From the tool's definition Tool "counts earthquakes matching a filter without returning the events" — retrieves aggregated data via query filters (time, magnitude, location) with no modification, deletion, or execution of external operations.
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
Count earthquakes matching a filter without returning the events — fast for questions like "how many M5+ quakes in the last month near X". Same filters as search_earthquakes (time, magnitude, circular area). Keyless. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Usgs Earthquakes MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
count_earthquakes accepts 7 parameters: end_time, latitude, longitude, start_time, max_magnitude, max_radius_km, min_magnitude. The full parameter table on this page comes from the server's own tool schema.
Register the Usgs Earthquakes MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for count_earthquakes: 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 Usgs Earthquakes. Nothing to install.
count_earthquakes 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 count_earthquakes 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 count_earthquakes. 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.
count_earthquakes is provided by the Usgs Earthquakes MCP server (pipeworx-io/mcp-usgs-earthquakes). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
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