dvcrn ADB Keyboard Setup
ADBKeyboard is required for typing Chinese, emoji, and special characters on the phone. Without it, only basic ASCII text works and non-ASCII input fails silently. This skill diagnoses, installs, and activates ADBKeyboard.
Package: com.android.adbkeyboard
IME ID: com.android.adbkeyboard/.AdbIME
APK source: https://github.com/nicso/ADBKeyboard/releases
Steps
1. Check Current Status
Run these shell commands on the device to diagnose:
Check if installed:
pm list packages | grep adbkeyboard
- If output contains
package:com.android.adbkeyboard→ installed - If empty → not installed, go to step 2
Check if active:
settings get secure default_input_method
- If output is
com.android.adbkeyboard/.AdbIME→ already active, done - Otherwise → installed but not active, go to step 3
2. Install (if not installed)
Download and install the APK:
# Download APK to device temp directory
curl -L -o /data/local/tmp/ADBKeyboard.apk "https://github.com/nicso/ADBKeyboard/releases/download/v2.1/ADBKeyboard-v2.1.apk"
# Install
pm install /data/local/tmp/ADBKeyboard.apk
# Clean up
rm /data/local/tmp/ADBKeyboard.apk
If curl is not available on the device, try wget:
wget -O /data/local/tmp/ADBKeyboard.apk "https://github.com/nicso/ADBKeyboard/releases/download/v2.1/ADBKeyboard-v2.1.apk"
If download fails on-device (no curl/wget), tell the user to manually download the APK from https://github.com/nicso/ADBKeyboard/releases and install it.
After installation, verify:
pm list packages | grep adbkeyboard
3. Activate
Enable and set ADBKeyboard as the active input method:
ime enable com.android.adbkeyboard/.AdbIME
ime set com.android.adbkeyboard/.AdbIME
Verify activation:
settings get secure default_input_method
Expected output: com.android.adbkeyboard/.AdbIME
4. Test
After activation, test by typing a Chinese string or emoji using the type_text tool. If the text appears correctly on screen, setup is complete.
Test text: 你好世界 🎉
Status Messages
Already set up:
⌨️ ADB Keyboard Status: ✅ Ready
ADBKeyboard is installed and active. Chinese, emoji, and Unicode input are fully supported.
Installed and activated:
⌨️ ADB Keyboard Setup: Complete
✅ Installed ADBKeyboard
✅ Set as active input method
✅ Test passed — Unicode input working
You can now type Chinese, emoji, and special characters.
Install failed:
⌨️ ADB Keyboard Setup: Manual Step Needed
Could not auto-install APK on the device.
Please download ADBKeyboard from: https://github.com/nicso/ADBKeyboard/releases
Install the APK on your phone, then tell me to retry activation.
When to Use
- User says "set up keyboard", "install ADB keyboard", "fix typing"
- Text input produces garbled output or empty results
- User tries to type Chinese/emoji and it fails
- First-time setup of ClawPaw phone control
- Proactively check before any task requiring non-ASCII text input
When NOT to Use
- User is asking about physical keyboard or Bluetooth keyboard
- User wants to change their regular phone keyboard (Gboard, Sogou, etc.)
- ADBKeyboard is already installed and active (just confirm status)