get_article_metadata

THE RISK

Low Risk

Why get_article_metadata needs a policy

This tool retrieves metadata (title, authors, abstract summaries, publication details, etc.) from ScienceDirect without creating, modifying, or deleting any data. Metadata search is a read-only operation with no side effects or ability to affect external systems. Severity is low because misuse would only expose publicly available academic literature information.

From the tool's definition Tool description states 'Search ScienceDirect article metadata' — a query operation that retrieves bibliographic information without modifying data.

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

POLICY

How to control get_article_metadata

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

policy.json

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

get_article_metadata 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 UniArticles MCP Server — 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

Related tools and policies

More UniArticles MCP Server tools

Read download_paper Download an ArXiv paper as PDF. Read get_abstract_details Get detailed abstract information for a Scopus document (by EID). Read get_author_profile Get author profile information from Scopus (by Author ID). Read get_quota_status Check current Elsevier API quota status (via Scopus endpoint). Read list_papers List recent papers from ArXiv (defaults to CS category if no query specified). Read read_paper Get detailed information (abstract/metadata) for a specific ArXiv paper. Read retrieve_article Retrieve a full-text article record by identifier type (pii, doi, pubmed_id, eid) and valu Read search_arxiv Search for papers in ArXiv using a query string.

All 15 UniArticles MCP Server tools →

Read tools on other servers

M-Team MCP Server get_torrent_detail YouTube MCP Server search_channel Android Forensics ADB MCP Server parse_browser_history 0xarchive web3_challenge

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 get_article_metadata

What does the get_article_metadata tool do? +

Search ScienceDirect article metadata. It is categorised as a Read tool in the UniArticles MCP Server MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.

How do I enforce a policy on get_article_metadata? +

Register the UniArticles MCP Server MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for get_article_metadata: 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 UniArticles MCP Server. Nothing to install.

What risk level is get_article_metadata? +

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

Can I rate-limit get_article_metadata? +

Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the get_article_metadata 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 get_article_metadata completely? +

Set action: deny in the PolicyLayer policy for get_article_metadata. 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 get_article_metadata? +

get_article_metadata is provided by the UniArticles MCP Server MCP server (thinktraveller/uniarticles_mcpserver). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.

Enforce policy on every UniArticles MCP Server tool call.

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

CHECK YOUR STACK →