ClinicalTrials.gov

On this page

Purpose

ClinicalTrials.gov searches the public ClinicalTrials.gov registry and fetches selected protocol sections for one NCT ID. It returns study records, not posted result tables.

When to use it

Find trials by condition, intervention, study type, status, or location.
Retrieve eligibility criteria for a known NCT ID.
Compare sponsor, enrollment, dates, design, and locations across matches.
Let an Agent search first, then fetch details for selected studies.

Required setup

ClinicalTrials.gov is public and requires no account or API key. Sustained use may be rate-limited at roughly 50 requests per minute per IP. After an HTTP 429 response, wait briefly and retry.

How to use it

In Tool Mode:

Connect the component's tools to Agent Core.
Tell the Agent what condition, intervention, status, or location to search.
Let the Agent choose an nct_id from the matches and fetch the needed protocol sections.
Keep the same search criteria when the Agent follows a returned next_page_token.

For example, ask the Agent to find recruiting diabetes trials in Berlin, then compare eligibility criteria for the most relevant matches.

In Normal mode:

Keep Action set to Search Studies.
Enter at least one of Condition, Intervention, Other Terms, or Location.
Run the search and choose an nct_id from the matches.
Switch to Get Study Details, enter the ID, and select the protocol sections you need.

PubMed evidence and the clinical trial pipeline feeding an AI Agent that creates one evidence briefing

Configuration

Setting	What it controls	Recommended starting point
Action	Search or one-study detail lookup	Search first unless you already have an NCT ID
Condition, Intervention, Other Terms, Location	Search criteria	Start with Condition
Status and Study Type	Result filters	Keep Any for the first search
Top Results	The maximum returned matches	Start with 10; the range is 1 to 100
Search Sections	Fields included for each match	Keep summary and design
Detail Sections	Protocol sections for one study	Keep summary, description, and eligibility

Expected result

Search returns structured matches with selected sections, counts, and an optional next-page token. Detail lookup returns only the requested protocol sections and reports which sections were omitted.

A missing NCT ID returns found: false rather than a run failure. has_results only reports whether the registry says posted results exist. It does not return those result tables.

Reference details

Use Search Sections to reduce the first response. Add sponsor or locations only when the question needs them. For a detail lookup, add interventions, outcomes, locations, or sponsor only when they matter.

Use Data Operations to filter the structured result. Type Convert can send it to a Message or DataFrame consumer.

← Back to all posts