AI agents call list_status_bar_items to retrieve information from Mac without modifying anything — typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
This tool retrieves and enumerates information about the system UI (status bar items) with no side effects. It does not create, modify, delete, or execute any operations—it merely reads and reports current system state. This is a standard Read category tool with low severity since an AI agent simply listing status bar items poses minimal risk to system integrity or user privacy.
From the tool's definition Tool name and description: 'Lists visible status bar (menu bar extras) items' — a query operation that retrieves UI state without modification, deletion, or execution of external code.
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
Lists visible status bar (menu bar extras) items. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Mac MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the Mac MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for list_status_bar_items: 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 Mac. Nothing to install.
list_status_bar_items 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_status_bar_items 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_status_bar_items. 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_status_bar_items is provided by the Mac MCP server (laststance/mac-mcp-server). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
Every MCP server has a record like this.
Type a name, get the same breakdown: verified identity, auth posture, risk grade, capabilities, recommended policy.
Teams ship this data inside their own products. See what a licence covers →