search_apps
Search App Store and Google Play apps across 25+ filters — store, category, language, price model, rating, review count, download and revenue estimates (min and max), release and update recency, and review-growth direction — sorted by any column. The tool behind niche sizing and competitor shortl...
This record as markdown: /tools/com-getappniche-mcp/search-apps.md
What search_apps does on Mcp
AI agents call search_apps to retrieve information from Mcp without modifying anything. It is typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
limit | integer | — | How many apps to return, 1-50 (default 10). |
store | object | — | Limit results to one store: 'apple' (App Store) or 'google' (Google Play). Omit to search both. |
offset | integer | — | How many apps to skip before returning results; use for paging. |
search | object | — | Free-text query matched against app title and developer name, e.g. 'calorie tracker'. |
sort_by | object | — | Column to sort by: 'downloads' (default), 'revenue', 'growth', 'reviews', 'rating', 'title', 'released' or 'updated'. |
category | object | — | Store category name to filter by, e.g. 'Health & Fitness', 'Productivity', 'Games'. Use 'categories' to include several at once. |
language | object | — | Single app-language code the listing supports, e.g. 'en', 'de', 'pt-BR'. |
sort_dir | object | — | Sort direction: 'desc' (default, highest first) or 'asc'. |
languages | object | — | Several app-language codes to include, e.g. ['en', 'es']. |
search_in | object | — | Which field 'search' matches: 'title', 'developer', or 'all' (default). Use 'developer' to list a publisher's portfolio. |
categories | object | — | Several category names to include, e.g. ['Health & Fitness', 'Lifestyle']. Takes precedence over 'category'. |
max_rating | object | — | Highest average star rating to include, 0-5; use to find weak incumbents. |
Parameters from the server's own tool schema.
Why search_apps is rated Low
This is a search and query tool that retrieves existing app store data without side effects. It fits the Read category: queries data (app search results, metadata, metrics) across the App Store and Google Play with various filters and sorting. The blast radius of misuse is low—an agent could only discover apps or retrieve public app metadata, which poses minimal risk.
From the tool's definition Tool description explicitly states it 'Search[es]' apps and retrieves data across multiple filters with sorting options. No data modification, deletion, or execution of external operations occurs.
Risk signalsHigh parameter count (30 properties)
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
The rule that runs search_apps safely
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway: it sits between your AI agents and Mcp, and checks every tool call against a rule you set before the call runs. Nothing changes on the server itself. For search_apps, this is the rule to start with:
search_apps is read-only, so it stays allowed. Everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.
The button opens the PolicyLayer dashboard: create your workspace, connect Mcp, apply this rule, and every search_apps call is checked against it from then on.
Questions about search_apps
Search App Store and Google Play apps across 25+ filters — store, category, language, price model, rating, review count, download and revenue estimates (min and max), release and update recency, and review-growth direction — sorted by any column. The tool behind niche sizing and competitor shortlists. Cost: 1 credit. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Mcp MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
search_apps accepts 12 parameters: limit, store, offset, search, sort_by, category, language, sort_dir, languages, search_in, categories, max_rating. The full parameter table on this page comes from the server's own tool schema.
Register the MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for search_apps: 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 Mcp. Nothing to install.
search_apps 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 search_apps 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 search_apps. 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.
search_apps is provided by the MCP server (@getappniche/mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
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