AI agents call list-packages to retrieve information from ADB MCP Server without modifying anything — typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
This tool performs data retrieval only—it queries and returns a list of installed packages on an Android device. There is no creation, modification, deletion, code execution, or financial impact. The operation is read-only and has no side effects beyond information gathering.
From the tool's definition Tool name 'list-packages' and description 'Get a list of installed applications' indicate a query operation that retrieves data without modification or side effects.
Documented attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access list-packages gives an agent:
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway — it sits between your AI agents and ADB MCP Server, and nothing reaches the server without passing your rules. This is the rule we recommend for list-packages:
{
"version": "1",
"default": "deny",
"tools": {
"list-packages": {}
}
}list-packages is read-only, so it stays allowed — but everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.
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Get a list of installed applications. It is categorised as a Read tool in the ADB MCP Server MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the ADB MCP Server MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for list-packages: 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 ADB MCP Server. Nothing to install.
list-packages 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-packages 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-packages. 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-packages is provided by the ADB MCP Server MCP server (jiantao88/android-mcp-server). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
Start from ADB MCP Server, add the rest of your stack, and see everything your agents can call. Then put policy on all of it.
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30 ADB MCP Server tools catalogued and risk-classified — across an index of 43,000+ MCP servers.