AI agents call find_related to retrieve information from Pubmed Search without modifying anything — typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
This tool queries an academic database to discover related articles based on an input article. It retrieves and returns information without creating, modifying, deleting, or executing code. The operation is read-only and poses minimal risk even if misused by an AI agent, as it only returns search results.
From the tool's definition Tool name is 'find_related' and description states 'Find articles related to a given article' — a retrieval operation with no side effects. Similar to search/list operations in the Read category.
Documented attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access find_related gives an agent:
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway — it sits between your AI agents and Pubmed Search, and nothing reaches the server without passing your rules. This is the rule we recommend for find_related:
{
"version": "1",
"default": "deny",
"tools": {
"find_related": {}
}
}find_related is read-only, so it stays allowed — but everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.
Free to start. No card required.
Find articles related to a given article. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Pubmed Search MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the Pubmed Search MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for find_related: 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 Pubmed Search. Nothing to install.
find_related 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 find_related 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 find_related. 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.
find_related is provided by the Pubmed Search MCP server (u9401066/pubmed-search-mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
Start from Pubmed Search, add the rest of your stack, and see everything your agents can call. Then put policy on all of it.
Free to start. No card required.
63 Pubmed Search tools catalogued and risk-classified — across an index of 43,000+ MCP servers.