# 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.

Agent View of the PolicyLayer registry record for `search_apps`. HTML page: https://policylayer.com/tools/com-getappniche-mcp/search-apps

## Facts

- Tool: `search_apps`
- Server: Mcp (`@getappniche/mcp`) — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-getappniche-mcp.md
- Install: `npx -y @getappniche/mcp`
- Homepage: https://github.com/getappniche/mcp
- Risk category: Read (Low risk)
- Registry record: grade C, identity unverified
- Server auth posture: open
- Server rate-limited: no
- Parameters: 12
- Recommended policy verdict: Allowed

## Parameters

| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `limit` | integer | no | How many apps to return, 1-50 (default 10). |
| `store` | object | no | Limit results to one store: 'apple' (App Store) or 'google' (Google Play). Omit to search both. |
| `offset` | integer | no | How many apps to skip before returning results; use for paging. |
| `search` | object | no | Free-text query matched against app title and developer name, e.g. 'calorie tracker'. |
| `sort_by` | object | no | Column to sort by: 'downloads' (default), 'revenue', 'growth', 'reviews', 'rating', 'title', 'released' or 'updated'. |
| `category` | object | no | Store category name to filter by, e.g. 'Health & Fitness', 'Productivity', 'Games'. Use 'categories' to include several at once. |
| `language` | object | no | Single app-language code the listing supports, e.g. 'en', 'de', 'pt-BR'. |
| `sort_dir` | object | no | Sort direction: 'desc' (default, highest first) or 'asc'. |
| `languages` | object | no | Several app-language codes to include, e.g. ['en', 'es']. |
| `search_in` | object | no | Which field 'search' matches: 'title', 'developer', or 'all' (default). Use 'developer' to list a publisher's portfolio. |
| `categories` | object | no | Several category names to include, e.g. ['Health & Fitness', 'Lifestyle']. Takes precedence over 'category'. |
| `max_rating` | object | no | Highest average star rating to include, 0-5; use to find weak incumbents. |

Parameters from the server's own tool schema.

## Example call (MCP tools/call, JSON-RPC 2.0)

```json
{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "id": 1,
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "name": "search_apps",
    "arguments": {}
  }
}
```

## 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 own 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 signals: High parameter count (30 properties)

## Use case

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.

## Recommended policy (PolicyLayer)

Verdict: **Allowed**. Enforced by the PolicyLayer MCP gateway (https://policylayer.com/mcp-gateway) before a call reaches Mcp:

```json
{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "search_apps": {}
  }
}
```

## Other tools on Mcp (6)

- `batch_keyword_difficulty` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-getappniche-mcp/batch-keyword-difficulty.md
- `get_app_detail` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-getappniche-mcp/get-app-detail.md
- `get_app_historicals` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-getappniche-mcp/get-app-historicals.md
- `get_app_reviews` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-getappniche-mcp/get-app-reviews.md
- `get_keyword_difficulty` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-getappniche-mcp/get-keyword-difficulty.md
- `get_supported_countries` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/com-getappniche-mcp/get-supported-countries.md

## For agents

This record is a snapshot. Live verdicts and the full registry:

- Check every server in your MCP config at once: `npx -y policylayer stack`
- Vet a server before you add it: install the mcp-precheck skill — `npx skills add https://policylayer.com` (skill text: https://policylayer.com/skill.md)
- Query the registry over MCP: endpoint `https://api.policylayer.com/mcp` — tools `check_mcp_server`, `check_mcp_stack`, `check_tool`, `search_registry`, `get_change_events`

---

Source: the PolicyLayer MCP registry — one continuously verified record per MCP server. Full record: https://policylayer.com/registry?q=com-getappniche-mcp · API: https://policylayer.com/registry/api · Policy library: https://policylayer.com/policies/com-getappniche-mcp