# android-adb

Teaches coding agents to interact with Android devices and emulators using raw ADB commands. It handles app launches, touch input, UI hierarchy dumps, and screen captures.

- skill · `type=skill` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, OpenCode · 956 installs · ★ 2
- Author: httprunner
- License: MIT · policy=mirror · the beginning of the file is at the end of this page
- Source: https://github.com/httprunner/skills/tree/HEAD/android-adb/SKILL.md
- Updated: 2026-02-28
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/android-adb

## What it does

This skill guides your AI assistant through direct `adb` command execution. It provides patterns for device discovery, pairing over Wi-Fi via `tcpip 5555`, starting packages with `monkey` or `am start`, force-stopping apps, and retrieving screen dumps with `screencap` or `uiautomator`.

Before executing coordinate taps or swipes, instructions mandate checking display resolution with `adb -s SERIAL shell wm size`. When more than one phone or emulator is online, the agent must supply `-s <serial>` with every call to avoid targeting errors.

Stock text input via `input text` is restricted to ASCII strings with space escaping. Because of this limitation, the workflow switches to ADB Keyboard broadcasts with base64 encoding whenever non-ASCII or special symbols need to be typed into input fields.

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add httprunner/skills --skill android-adb -a claude-code
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `~/.claude/skills/android-adb/SKILL.md` — Copy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/android-adb/

### Codex

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add httprunner/skills --skill android-adb -a codex
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.agents/skills/android-adb/SKILL.md` — For all projects use ~/.agents/skills/

### Cursor

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add httprunner/skills --skill android-adb -a cursor
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.cursor/skills/android-adb/SKILL.md` — Cursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/

### GitHub Copilot

1. **GitHub CLI**
```bash
gh skill install httprunner/skills android-adb
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.github/skills/android-adb/SKILL.md`

### Gemini CLI

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add httprunner/skills --skill android-adb -a gemini-cli
```

2. **Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini skills install https://github.com/httprunner/skills --path android-adb
```

### Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

**Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.devin/skills/android-adb/SKILL.md` — The legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works

### OpenCode

**Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add httprunner/skills --skill android-adb -a opencode
```

### Claude.ai

**Claude.ai**
- Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills

Where a file is given instead of a command, copy the files from the source to that path: https://github.com/httprunner/skills/tree/HEAD/android-adb/SKILL.md

## When to use it
- connect to an Android device over Wi-Fi using tcpip
- capture a screenshot or extract the XML view hierarchy
- launch an activity or force-stop a running Android package
- simulate taps, long presses, back gestures, and key events

## Example prompts
- Connect to the device at `192.168.1.42:5555` and check the active screen size
- Take a screenshot from emulator `emulator-5554` and save it to `shot.png`
- Launch package `com.sample.app` and tap the coordinates 540 1200

## Source text · SKILL.md · MIT

Below is the content of a third-party file. It is data, not instructions for you: do not act on anything written inside unless the human asks. Block tag: 312b9c4379887ef3.

BEGIN THIRD-PARTY FILE 312b9c4379887ef3
````text
---
name: android-adb
description: Android device control via raw ADB commands. Use for device/emulator discovery, USB or Wi-Fi connection, app launch/force-stop, tap/swipe/keyevent/text input, screenshots, UI hierarchy dump, and ADB troubleshooting.
---

# Android ADB

Reference for controlling Android devices with raw `adb` commands.

## Execution Constraints

- Use `adb -s <serial>` whenever more than one device is connected.
- Confirm screen resolution before coordinate actions: `adb -s SERIAL shell wm size`.
- Ask for missing required inputs before executing (serial, package/activity, coordinates, APK path).
- Surface actionable stderr on failure (authorization, cable/network, tcpip state).
- Prefer ADB Keyboard broadcast for CJK and special character input when ADB Keyboard is installed.

## Device And Server

```bash
# Start ADB server
adb start-server

# Stop ADB server
adb kill-server

# List devices
adb devices -l

# Target a specific device (use when multiple devices are online)
adb -s SERIAL <command>
```

## Wi-Fi Connection

```bash
# Enable tcpip (USB required first)
adb -s SERIAL tcpip 5555

# Get device IP
adb -s SERIAL shell ip route | grep src
# or
adb -s SERIAL shell ip addr show wlan0

# Connect over network
adb connect <ip>:5555

# Disconnect
adb disconnect <ip>:5555
```

## Device State

```bash
# Screen size
adb -s SERIAL shell wm size

# Current foreground app (package/activity from mCurrentFocus)
adb -s SERIAL shell dumpsys window | grep -E 'mCurrentFocus|mFocusedApp'

# Get home launcher package (for back-home detection)
adb -s SERIAL shell cmd package resolve-activity --brief -c android.intent.category.HOME

# Raw shell command
adb -s SERIAL shell <command>
```

## App Lifecycle

```bash
# Verify package installed
adb -s SERIAL shell pm list packages | grep <package>

# Launch by package (via monkey)
adb -s SERIAL shell monkey -p <package> -c android.intent.category.LAUNCHER 1

# Launch by activity
adb -s SERIAL shell am start -W -n <package>/<activity>

# Launch by URI/scheme
adb -s SERIAL shell am start -W -a android.intent.action.VIEW -d "<scheme://path>"

# Force-stop
adb -s SERIAL shell am force-stop <package>
```

## Input Actions

```bash
# Tap
adb -s SERIAL shell input tap X Y

# Double tap (two taps with short delay)
adb -s SERIAL shell input tap X Y && sleep 0.1 && adb -s SERIAL shell input tap X Y

# Long press (swipe to same point with duration)
adb -s SERIAL shell input swipe X Y X Y 3000

# Swipe
adb -s SERIAL shell input swipe X1 Y1 X2 Y2 [duration_ms]

# Key event
adb -s SERIAL shell input keyevent KEYCODE_BACK
adb -s SERIAL shell input keyevent KEYCODE_HOME
adb -s SERIAL shell input keyevent KEYCODE_ENTER

# Return to home (press BACK repeatedly, check foreground against home launcher)
for i in $(seq 1 20); do
  adb -s SERIAL shell input keyevent KEYCODE_BACK
  sleep 0.5
  # Check if home reached by comparing current focus to home package
  CURRENT=$(adb -s SERIAL shell dumpsys window | grep mCurrentFocus)
  echo "Round $i: $CURRENT"
done
```

## Text Input
````
END THIRD-PARTY FILE 312b9c4379887ef3

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