List available search engines and check browser pool health status.
AI agents call list_search_engines to retrieve information from Web Search MCP without modifying anything — typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
This tool queries and returns information about available search engines and system health status. It performs only read operations—no side effects, no data modification, no code execution, and no external triggers. The blast radius of misuse is minimal; an AI agent cannot cause harm by listing search engines or checking health status.
From the tool's definition Tool name 'list_search_engines' and description 'List available search engines and check browser pool health status' indicate retrieval of status information with no modification or execution of external operations.
Documented attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access list_search_engines gives an agent:
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway — it sits between your AI agents and Web Search MCP, and nothing reaches the server without passing your rules. This is the rule we recommend for list_search_engines:
{
"version": "1",
"default": "deny",
"tools": {
"list_search_engines": {}
}
}list_search_engines 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.
List available search engines and check browser pool health status. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Web Search MCP MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the Web Search MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for list_search_engines: 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 Web Search MCP. Nothing to install.
list_search_engines 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 list_search_engines 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 list_search_engines. 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.
list_search_engines is provided by the Web Search MCP server (uk0/web-search-fast). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
Deterministic rules across all 3 Web Search MCP tools. Per-identity grants. Full audit log. Live in minutes. Nothing to install.
Free to start. No card required.
3 Web Search MCP tools catalogued and risk-classified — across an index of 42,500+ MCP servers.