ADB Screenshot Capture

ADB Screenshot Capture Skill

This skill captures screenshots from Android devices connected via ADB and automatically displays them for analysis.

When to Use

Invoke this skill ONLY when the user explicitly requests:

• "take a screenshot"
• "capture the screen"
• "screencap"
• "get a screenshot"
• "show me the current screen"

Do NOT invoke automatically or proactively. Wait for explicit user request.

Workflow

1. Generate Context-Based Filename

Analyze the conversation context to create a descriptive filename:

Good examples:

• If discussing UI layout issues → ui-layout-issue
• If debugging navigation → navigation-bug
• If reviewing settings screen → settings-screen
• If checking badge positioning → badge-position
• If verifying after a fix → fix-verification

Fallback: If no clear context, use a generic descriptive name like debug-screen or let the script use its timestamp default (omit filename parameter).

2. Check for Multiple Devices

Before executing the screenshot script, check if multiple devices are connected:

adb devices

If multiple devices are detected:

1. Get device information for each device:

   adb -s <device-serial> shell getprop ro.product.model
   

2. Use the AskUserQuestion tool to ask which device to use, presenting:
   • Device model name
   • Device serial number
3. When executing the screenshot script, pass the selected device serial using the -d flag:

   ./screenshot.sh -d <device-serial> [generated-filename]
   

If only one device is connected: Proceed directly to step 3 without the -d flag.

3. Execute Screenshot Script

Run the screenshot script from this skill directory:

./screenshot.sh [generated-filename]
# Or with device selection:
./screenshot.sh -d <device-serial> [generated-filename]

The script will:

• Detect connected Android devices via ADB
• Handle device selection interactively if multiple devices are connected (fallback if -d not provided)
• Automatically find the project root directory
• Capture the screenshot to {project-root}/.claude/tmp/[filename].png
• Display device model and serial information
• Report the saved file path

4. Display Screenshot

After successful capture, immediately use the Read tool to display the screenshot image so the user can see it.

5. Provide Confirmation

Report back with:

• Device information (model and serial)
• Screenshot file path
• Brief confirmation that the screenshot is being displayed

Example Interactions

Single Device Scenario

User: "Take a screenshot of the current UI"

Assistant: I'll capture a screenshot from your Android device.

[Checks: adb devices - shows 1 device]
[Executes: ./screenshot.sh ui-current]
[Uses Read tool on: {project-root}/.claude/tmp/ui-current.png]

Screenshot captured from device Pixel 8 (serial: ABC123XYZ) and saved to `{project-root}/.claude/tmp/ui-current.png`.

Multiple Device Scenario

User: "Take a screenshot"

Assistant: I'll capture a screenshot from your Android device.

[Checks: adb devices - shows 2 devices]
[Gets device info for each]
[Uses AskUserQuestion to present choices:
  - Pixel 8 (38101FDJH000P9)
  - Emulator (emulator-5554)]

User selects: Pixel 8

[Executes: ./screenshot.sh -d 38101FDJH000P9 debug-screen]
[Uses Read tool on: {project-root}/.claude/tmp/debug-screen.png]

Screenshot captured from device Pixel 8 (serial: 38101FDJH000P9) and saved to `{project-root}/.claude/tmp/debug-screen.png`.

Error Handling

Common issues and resolutions:

• No devices found: Verify device is connected via USB and ADB debugging is enabled
• Multiple devices without -d flag: The script will prompt interactively, or use step 2 to handle proactively
• Permission denied: Check ADB authorization on device
• Script not found: Ensure you're running from the correct skill directory path

Important Notes

• The script automatically detects the project root using git rev-parse --show-toplevel
• Screenshots are always saved to {project-root}/.claude/tmp/ regardless of where the script is executed
• Always check for multiple devices first (step 2) to provide a better user experience
• Use the AskUserQuestion tool to let users select devices when multiple are connected
• Always display the screenshot immediately after capture using the Read tool
• Generate meaningful filenames based on conversation context
• Previous screenshots are overwritten if the same filename is used