AI agents call app_list_running to retrieve information from uiautomator2 MCP Server without modifying anything — typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
This tool retrieves state information about running applications without modifying, executing, or deleting anything. It has minimal security impact—exposing a list of running apps is a low-severity information disclosure. The blast radius is limited since an AI agent misusing this would only gain visibility into app state, not cause operational harm.
From the tool's definition Tool name 'app_list_running' indicates listing/querying running applications on an Android device. The server context confirms it provides control tools for Android automation, and sibling tools like 'app_list', 'app_current', and 'app_info' are clearly…
Documented attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access app_list_running gives an agent:
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway — it sits between your AI agents and uiautomator2 MCP Server, and nothing reaches the server without passing your rules. This is the rule we recommend for app_list_running:
{
"version": "1",
"default": "deny",
"tools": {
"app_list_running": {}
}
}app_list_running is read-only, so it stays allowed — but everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.
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app_list_running. It is categorised as a Read tool in the uiautomator2 MCP Server MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the uiautomator2 MCP Server MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for app_list_running: 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 uiautomator2 MCP Server. Nothing to install.
app_list_running 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 app_list_running 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 app_list_running. 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.
app_list_running is provided by the uiautomator2 MCP Server MCP server (tanbro/uiautomator2-mcp-server). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
Start from uiautomator2 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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77 uiautomator2 MCP Server tools catalogued and risk-classified — across an index of 43,000+ MCP servers.