Disable Agent Tray

What the Agent Tray Disabler does

This Automox Worklet™ disables the Automox Agent Tray on Windows endpoints by writing a marker file named amagent-ui-disable into the Automox installation directory. The marker file tells the agent to skip launching amagent-ui.exe on the next service start, so the tray icon never appears in the Windows shell notification area.

Evaluation inspects both Program Files and Program Files (x86) for the tray binary, so the same Worklet handles 32-bit and 64-bit Automox installs without parameter changes. When amagent-ui.exe is not installed or the marker file is already in place, the Worklet exits 0 and skips remediation, leaving the endpoint as it found it.

Remediation creates an empty file at the resolved Automox directory path using New-Item with the -Force flag. The agent reads the marker on its next start, suppresses the tray UI process, and continues all background patching and policy work unchanged. No registry keys, scheduled tasks, or AppLocker rules are modified.

Why enforce a silent agent baseline

The Automox Agent Tray is a convenience UI designed for fleets where end users expect a visible client. On locked-down workstations, kiosks, shared lab machines, and managed server estates, that tray icon is exactly what your baseline forbids. It exposes a control surface to the logged-in user and invites support tickets from end users asking what the icon does. A curious end user also gets a way to interact with the agent that your runbook never documented. Hardened images and CIS-aligned workstation baselines routinely strip visible system tray entries for management tooling.

The marker file gets removed in three predictable ways: build engineers re-enable the tray to debug an install, a vendor image refresh strips the file from the Automox directory, and a re-imaged laptop ships without the silent agent baseline applied. This Worklet asserts the no-tray marker continuously, so the next evaluation catches the drift before a user notices the icon or an audit flags the deviation from your documented endpoint posture.

How agent tray suppression works

1. Evaluation phase: The Worklet runs Test-Path against ${env:ProgramFiles(x86)}\Automox\amagent-ui.exe and ${env:ProgramFiles}\Automox\amagent-ui.exe to locate the Automox install directory. If neither path resolves, the Worklet writes "Automox Agent Tray not found" and exits 0. When the binary is found, Split-Path resolves the parent Automox directory and Join-Path builds the disable file path. If amagent-ui-disable already exists at that path, the endpoint is compliant and the script exits 0. If the marker is absent, the script exits 2 to trigger remediation.

2. Remediation phase: The Disable-AmagentTray function rechecks ${env:ProgramFiles(x86)}\Automox and falls back to ${env:ProgramFiles}\Automox to locate the installation root. It then runs New-Item -Path "<AutomoxDir>\amagent-ui-disable" -ItemType File -Force to create the marker file. Output is piped to Out-Null so the activity log stays clean, and the script exits 0 on success or 2 on any caught exception. The Automox agent picks up the marker on its next service start and suppresses the tray UI process without restarting the patching service.

Agent tray suppression requirements

• Windows 10, Windows 11, or Windows Server 2016 and later

• PowerShell 5.1 or higher (default on all supported Windows versions)

• Automox Agent Tray (amagent-ui.exe) installed at %ProgramFiles%\Automox or %ProgramFiles(x86)%\Automox

• Write access to the Automox installation directory (the SYSTEM context used by the Automox agent already meets this)

• No reboot required; the change takes effect on the next agent service restart or user logon

• Pair with the Enable Agent Tray Worklet on the same fleet when you need to revert the baseline temporarily for support sessions

Expected state after suppressing the tray

After remediation completes, an empty file named amagent-ui-disable exists in the Automox installation directory (typically C:\Program Files (x86)\Automox). The Automox Agent Tray no longer appears in the system tray on subsequent logons or service restarts, and the tray context menu is unavailable to end users. The Automox agent service itself continues to run, patch endpoints, evaluate policies, and report endpoint telemetry to the Automox console without interruption.

To validate the change, run Test-Path "C:\Program Files (x86)\Automox\amagent-ui-disable" on the endpoint and confirm it returns True. You can also inspect Get-Process amagent-ui after a logon to confirm the UI process never starts. If the tray returns unexpectedly, re-run the Worklet to recreate the marker file, or check whether an image refresh or repair install removed the Automox directory contents. Schedule this Worklet on a daily or weekly cadence to hold the silent agent baseline across re-imaged endpoints and new hires joining the fleet.