adb_devices

THE RISK

Low Risk

Why adb_devices needs a policy

This tool performs a simple enumeration of connected devices and their status—a read-only operation with no side effects. There is no data modification, execution of commands, deletion, or financial impact.

From the tool's definition Tool name 'adb_devices' and description 'Lists all connected Android devices and their connection status' indicate a query/read operation that retrieves device information without modifying anything.

Documented attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access adb_devices gives an agent:

POLICY

How to control adb_devices

PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway — it sits between your AI agents and Android ADB MCP Server, and nothing reaches the server without passing your rules. This is the rule we recommend for adb_devices:

policy.json

{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "adb_devices": {}
  }
}

adb_devices is read-only, so it stays allowed — but everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.

Create a free account and register Android ADB MCP Server — nothing to install.
Add this policy — paste it, or build it visually.
Point your MCP client (Claude, Cursor, anything) at your gateway URL.

CAP THIS TOOL →

Free to start. No card required.

EXPLORE

Related tools and policies

More Android ADB MCP Server tools

Destructive adb_uninstall Uninstalls an application from a connected Android device Execute launch_app Launches an application on a connected Android device Execute adb_shell Executes shell commands on a connected Android device Execute adb_install Installs APK files on a connected Android device Write adb_push Pushes files from the local system to a connected Android device Read adb_list_packages Lists all installed packages on a connected Android device Read adb_pull Pulls files from a connected Android device to the local system Read take_screenshot_and_copy_to_clipboard Takes a screenshot and copies it to the clipboard

All 10 Android ADB MCP Server tools →

Read tools on other servers

M-Team MCP Server get_torrent_detail YouTube MCP Server search_channel Android Forensics ADB MCP Server parse_browser_history 0xarchive web3_challenge

Go deeper

The MCP Attack Database → Documented attack patterns against MCP deployments — and the policies that stop them.
Data exfiltration → How read access becomes an exfiltration channel when chained with untrusted content.
MCP token cost → What connecting this server costs in context-window tokens on every request.
Rate Limiting MCP Tool Calls: A Practical Guide →
MCP Security: Why Prompt Guardrails Aren't Enough →

FAQ

Questions about adb_devices

What does the adb_devices tool do? +

Lists all connected Android devices and their connection status. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Android ADB MCP Server MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.

How do I enforce a policy on adb_devices? +

Register the Android ADB MCP Server MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for adb_devices: 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 Android ADB MCP Server. Nothing to install.

What risk level is adb_devices? +

adb_devices is a Read tool with low risk. Read-only tools are generally safe to allow by default.

Can I rate-limit adb_devices? +

Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the adb_devices 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.

How do I block adb_devices completely? +

Set action: deny in the PolicyLayer policy for adb_devices. 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.

What MCP server provides adb_devices? +

adb_devices is provided by the Android ADB MCP Server MCP server (landicefu/android-adb-mcp-server). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.

Enforce policy on every Android ADB MCP Server tool call.

Start from Android ADB MCP Server, add the rest of your stack, and see everything your agents can call. Then put policy on all of it.

CHECK YOUR STACK →