Skip to main content
Glama

Search APIs

search_apis
Read-only

Search APIs by meaning and keyword across name, slug, and description, returning matches WITH their descriptions (schemas omitted), ranked most relevant first. Pass query, category, or platform - at least one, in any combination: a scope on its own is a complete search, so category or platform with no query enumerates it. Add limit to cap matches (default 25, maximum 50). Each result carries a relevance score in (0,1] relative to the top match; a relevance floor drops the weakly-matching tail, so total counts relevant matches before the limit. ranking says whether meaning-based ('semantic') or substring ('keyword') matching served the search. Entries with heavy:true return large responses - plan to pass fields/max_items/summary to run_api. Results carry NO input schema, so you cannot build a run_api call from them alone: before your FIRST run_api on any API, call get_api for it and use the schema it returns. Guessing the input is the single most common way a run fails - callers who read the schema first are rejected about a quarter as often. Use list_apis to browse everything.

Input Schema

TableJSON Schema
NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
limitNooptional cap on matches returned (default 25, maximum 50)
queryNofree-text search over API name, slug, and description; optional when category or platform is given
contextYesExplain why you are calling this tool and how it fits into the user's overall goal. This parameter is used for analytics and user intent tracking. YOU MUST provide 15-25 words (count carefully). NEVER use first person ('I', 'we', 'you') - maintain third-person perspective. NEVER include sensitive information such as credentials, passwords, or personal data. Example (20 words): "Searching across the organization's repositories to find all open issues related to performance complaints and latency issues for team prioritization."
categoryNooptional category slug to narrow the search
platformNooptional API slug prefix to narrow the search

Output Schema

TableJSON Schema
NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
totalYes
rankingYes
resultsYes

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

  1. Changed1 schema field changed
    • addedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / pricing / properties / from / properties / addons
      Added value: +{
      +  "items": {
      +    "additionalProperties": false,
      +    "properties": {
      +      "field": {
      +        "type": "string"
      +      },
      +      "id": {
      +        "type": "string"
      +      },
      +      "label": {
      +        "type": "string"
      +      },
      +      "usd": {
      +        "type": "number"
      +      }
      +    },
      +    "required": [
      +      "id",
      +      "label",
      +      "field",
      +      "usd"
      +    ],
      +    "type": "object"
      +  },
      +  "type": [
      +    "null",
      +    "array"
      +  ]
      +}
  2. Changed2 schema fields changed
    • changedInput schema / properties / query / description
      Previous value: -"free-text search over API name, slug, and description"New value: +"free-text search over API name, slug, and description; optional when category or platform is given"
    • changedInput schema / required
      Previous value: -[
      -  "query",
      -  "context"
      -]New value: +[
      +  "context"
      +]
  3. Changed24 schema fields changed
    • removedInput schema / additionalProperties
      Removed value: -false
    • addedInput schema / properties / context
      Added value: +{
      +  "description": "Explain why you are calling this tool and how it fits into the user's overall goal. This parameter is used for analytics and user intent tracking. YOU MUST provide 15-25 words (count carefully). NEVER use first person ('I', 'we', 'you') - maintain third-person perspective. NEVER include sensitive information such as credentials, passwords, or personal data. Example (20 words): \"Searching across the organization's repositories to find all open issues related to performance complaints and latency issues for team prioritization.\"",
      +  "type": "string"
      +}
    • changedInput schema / properties / limit / description
      Previous value: -"optional cap on matches returned (default 25); 'total' reports how many relevant matches there were before the cap"New value: +"optional cap on matches returned (default 25, maximum 50)"
    • addedInput schema / properties / platform
      Added value: +{
      +  "description": "optional API slug prefix to narrow the search",
      +  "type": "string"
      +}
    • changedInput schema / required
      Previous value: -[
      -  "query"
      -]New value: +[
      +  "query",
      +  "context"
      +]
    • removedOutput schema / properties / ranking / description
      Removed value: -"'semantic' when meaning-based ranking served this search, 'keyword' when it fell back to substring matching (relevance is coarser)"
    • removedOutput schema / properties / results / description
      Removed value: -"matching APIs with descriptions (schemas omitted), most relevant first"
    • removedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / baseUsd
      Removed value: -{
      -  "description": "fixed cost per request in USD, charged regardless of count",
      -  "type": "number"
      -}
    • addedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / excludesCallerDelay
      Added value: +{
      +  "type": "boolean"
      +}
    • addedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / execution
      Added value: +{
      +  "additionalProperties": false,
      +  "properties": {
      +    "mode": {
      +      "type": "string"
      +    }
      +  },
      +  "required": [
      +    "mode"
      +  ],
      +  "type": "object"
      +}
    • addedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / failover
      Added value: +{
      +  "type": "boolean"
      +}
    • removedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / heavy / description
      Removed value: -"true when this API's responses are typically large; pass fields, max_items, or summary to run_api (and a small limit in the input) to keep the result out of your context"
    • removedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / inputSchema
      Removed value: -{
      -  "description": "normalized input JSON Schema"
      -}
    • addedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / method
      Added value: +{
      +  "type": "string"
      +}
    • removedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / outputSchema
      Removed value: -{
      -  "description": "normalized output JSON Schema"
      -}
    • addedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / path
      Added value: +{
      +  "type": "string"
      +}
    • removedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / perItemUnit
      Removed value: -{
      -  "description": "the unit perItemUsd is charged per: 'result' (default) or an input unit like 'username' for input-priced SKUs",
      -  "type": "string"
      -}
    • removedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / perItemUsd
      Removed value: -{
      -  "description": "marginal cost in USD per billable unit (see perItemUnit); total = baseUsd + perItemUsd × unitCount, capped at priceUsd",
      -  "type": "number"
      -}
    • removedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / priceUsd
      Removed value: -{
      -  "description": "maximum price per request in USD (the reserved ceiling at the default limit)",
      -  "type": "number"
      -}
    • addedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / pricing
      Added value: +{
      +  "additionalProperties": false,
      +  "properties": {
      +    "failoverMaxPer1kUsd": {
      +      "type": "number"
      +    },
      +    "failoverMaxUsd": {
      +      "type": "number"
      +    },
      +    "from": {
      +      "additionalProperties": false,
      +      "properties": {
      +        "baseUsd": {
      +          "type": [
      +            "null",
      +            "number"
      +          ]
      +        },
      +        "maxPer1kUsd": {
      +          "type": "number"
      +        },
      +        "maxUsd": {
      +          "type": "number"
      +        },
      +        "model": {
      +          "type": "string"
      +        },
      +        "perUnitUsd": {
      +          "type": [
      +            "null",
      +            "number"
      +          ]
      +        },
      +        "unit": {
      +          "type": "string"
      +        }
      +      },
      +      "required": [
      +        "model",
      +        "unit",
      +        "maxUsd",
      +        "maxPer1kUsd"
      +      ],
      +      "type": "object"
      +    }
      +  },
      +  "required": [
      +    "from",
      +    "failoverMaxUsd",
      +    "failoverMaxPer1kUsd"
      +  ],
      +  "type": "object"
      +}
    • addedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / provider
      Added value: +{
      +  "type": "string"
      +}
    • changedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / relevance / description
      Previous value: -"relative relevance in (0,1], 1.0 = the best match in this response; comparable only within this response"New value: +"relative relevance in (0,1], 1.0 = the best match"
    • changedOutput schema / properties / results / items / required
      Previous value: -[
      -  "id",
      -  "slug",
      -  "category",
      -  "name",
      -  "description",
      -  "priceUsd",
      -  "baseUsd",
      -  "perItemUsd",
      -  "relevance"
      -]New value: +[
      +  "id",
      +  "slug",
      +  "category",
      +  "name",
      +  "description",
      +  "method",
      +  "path",
      +  "provider",
      +  "execution",
      +  "pricing",
      +  "failover",
      +  "relevance"
      +]
    • removedOutput schema / properties / total / description
      Removed value: -"number of relevant matches (after the relevance floor), before the limit cap - if this is large, narrow your query"
  4. Changed8 schema fields changed
    • changedInput schema / properties / limit / description
      Previous value: -"optional cap on matches returned (default 25); 'total' reports how many matched before the cap"New value: +"optional cap on matches returned (default 25); 'total' reports how many relevant matches there were before the cap"
    • addedOutput schema / properties / ranking
      Added value: +{
      +  "description": "'semantic' when meaning-based ranking served this search, 'keyword' when it fell back to substring matching (relevance is coarser)",
      +  "type": "string"
      +}
    • changedOutput schema / properties / results / description
      Previous value: -"matching APIs with descriptions (schemas omitted)"New value: +"matching APIs with descriptions (schemas omitted), most relevant first"
    • addedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / heavy
      Added value: +{
      +  "description": "true when this API's responses are typically large; pass fields, max_items, or summary to run_api (and a small limit in the input) to keep the result out of your context",
      +  "type": "boolean"
      +}
    • addedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / relevance
      Added value: +{
      +  "description": "relative relevance in (0,1], 1.0 = the best match in this response; comparable only within this response",
      +  "type": "number"
      +}
    • changedOutput schema / properties / results / items / required
      Previous value: -[
      -  "id",
      -  "slug",
      -  "category",
      -  "name",
      -  "description",
      -  "priceUsd",
      -  "baseUsd",
      -  "perItemUsd"
      -]New value: +[
      +  "id",
      +  "slug",
      +  "category",
      +  "name",
      +  "description",
      +  "priceUsd",
      +  "baseUsd",
      +  "perItemUsd",
      +  "relevance"
      +]
    • changedOutput schema / properties / total / description
      Previous value: -"number of APIs that matched before the limit was applied"New value: +"number of relevant matches (after the relevance floor), before the limit cap - if this is large, narrow your query"
    • changedOutput schema / required
      Previous value: -[
      -  "results",
      -  "total"
      -]New value: +[
      +  "results",
      +  "total",
      +  "ranking"
      +]
  5. Added

TDQS

A4.9/5.0
Behavior5/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

Annotations already mark the tool as read-only and non-destructive, so the description adds substantial behavioral context beyond that: it discloses ranking behavior, relevance scores, total counts, ranking type, heavy:true large responses, and the lack of input schemas. It also warns about the common failure mode of guessing inputs, which is valuable behavioral insight.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness4/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

The description is long but well-structured, front-loaded with the core purpose and then logically expanding to parameters, output, and critical usage warnings. Every sentence adds value; the length is justified by the tool's complexity, though it could be slightly tightened without losing meaning.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness5/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

For a search tool with annotations covering read-only safety, the description covers all necessary aspects: when to use, how to combine parameters, output shape, and the critical caveat about missing schemas and the need to call get_api before run_api. It also mentions heavy:true entries and the alternative list_apis, making it complete for an agent to invoke correctly.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters5/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

Although schema coverage is 100%, the description adds critical semantic details: it explains the combinatorial requirement (at least one of query/category/platform), that category/platform alone enumerate, and the limit's default and max. It also clarifies the meaning of the relevance and total fields in the output, enriching the parameter understanding beyond the schema's minimal descriptions.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose5/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

The description clearly states the tool searches APIs by meaning and keyword across name, slug, and description, and returns matches with descriptions (schemas omitted). It explicitly differentiates from siblings by noting the lack of schemas and pointing to get_api for schema retrieval and list_apis for browsing, making its purpose unambiguous.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines5/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

The description provides explicit when-to-use guidance: it explains that at least one of query, category, or platform must be provided, and that category/platform alone enumerate. It also distinguishes from get_api (for schemas) and list_apis (for browsing), and warns against guessing inputs for run_api, giving clear usage context.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.

Try in Browser

Glama MCP Gateway

Add one secure layer between your agents and this server.