AI agents call list_windows to retrieve information from GNOME Desktop MCP 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 window state information without creating, modifying, deleting, or executing any operations. It has no side effects and poses minimal risk—window metadata is typically not sensitive on a shared system, and an agent misusing this tool could only gather information, not cause harm.
From the tool's definition Tool name is 'list_windows' and description states 'List all open windows with their properties.' The verb 'list' and the action of retrieving window metadata with no modification capability indicates a read-only query operation.
Documented attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access list_windows gives an agent:
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway — it sits between your AI agents and GNOME Desktop MCP, and nothing reaches the server without passing your rules. This is the rule we recommend for list_windows:
{
"version": "1",
"default": "deny",
"tools": {
"list_windows": {}
}
}list_windows is read-only, so it stays allowed — but everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.
Free to start. No card required.
List all open windows with their properties. It is categorised as a Read tool in the GNOME Desktop MCP MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the GNOME Desktop MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for list_windows: 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 GNOME Desktop MCP. Nothing to install.
list_windows 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_windows 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_windows. 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_windows is provided by the GNOME Desktop MCP server (sbuysse/gnome-desktop-mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
Start from GNOME Desktop MCP, add the rest of your stack, and see everything your agents can call. Then put policy on all of it.
Free to start. No card required.
30 GNOME Desktop MCP tools catalogued and risk-classified — across an index of 43,000+ MCP servers.