# Emumanager

> Manages Android SDK, emulators, and AVDs. Use when bootstrapping Android SDK, creating/starting/stopping AVDs, downloading system images, or troubleshooting emulator issues. Supports mobile, Wear OS, TV, and Automotive devices. Covers sdkmanager, avdmanager, emulator CLI. Triggers: android emulator, android virtual device, avd, system image, wear os emulator, tv emulator, automotive emulator, bootstrap android sdk.

- Skill: `majiayu000/emumanager-2` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add majiayu000/emumanager-2`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/majiayu000/emumanager-2/raw
- Safety review: pending (external: skill-scanner PASS, skillspector PASS)
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: majiayu000 (https://skillmd.com/u/majiayu000)
- Updated: 2026-09-22
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/majiayu000/emumanager-2

---


# Android Emulator Manager

## Quick Start

### Environment Variables

```bash
export ANDROID_HOME="${ANDROID_HOME:-$HOME/.local/share/android-sdk}"
export ANDROID_USER_HOME="${ANDROID_USER_HOME:-$HOME/.android}"
```

### Prerequisites

- Java 17 or higher
- Hardware acceleration: KVM on Linux, HVF (Hypervisor Framework) on macOS
- Network access for downloading SDK components

### Highest-Value Commands

```bash
# First-time setup (installs cmdline-tools, platform-tools, build-tools, emulator)
scripts/emumanager bootstrap

# Diagnose issues (Java version, hardware acceleration, disk space)
scripts/emumanager doctor

# Create a mobile/phone AVD with latest API
scripts/emumanager create my_phone --mobile

# Start the AVD
scripts/emumanager start my_phone

# List all AVDs (shows running status)
scripts/emumanager list

# Show detailed AVD information
scripts/emumanager info my_phone
```

## Subcommand Overview

### bootstrap

Set up SDK environment. Installs cmdline-tools, platform-tools, build-tools,
emulator, and a platform.

```bash
scripts/emumanager bootstrap
scripts/emumanager bootstrap --no-emulator  # Skip emulator installation
```

### doctor

Run diagnostics to check for common issues: Java version, hardware
acceleration, SDK tools, disk space, orphaned AVD files.

```bash
scripts/emumanager doctor
```

### list

List all available AVDs with running status.

```bash
scripts/emumanager list              # Show all AVDs with status
scripts/emumanager list --names-only # Just AVD names
scripts/emumanager list --running-only
scripts/emumanager list --stopped-only
```

### info

Show detailed information about an AVD: system image, API level, screen config,
RAM, storage, Play Store status.

```bash
scripts/emumanager info my_phone
```

### create

Create a new AVD with device type or specific image.

```bash
scripts/emumanager create my_phone --mobile   # Mobile/phone (default)
scripts/emumanager create my_watch --wear     # Wear OS
scripts/emumanager create my_tv --tv          # Android/Google TV
scripts/emumanager create my_car --auto       # Android Automotive

# With specific system image
scripts/emumanager create my_avd "system-images;android-36;google_apis_playstore;arm64-v8a"
```

### start

Start an AVD. Waits for boot to complete.

```bash
scripts/emumanager start my_phone              # Quick Boot (fast)
scripts/emumanager start my_phone --cold-boot  # Cold boot (bypass snapshots)
scripts/emumanager start my_phone --wipe-data  # Factory reset + cold boot
```

### stop

Stop a running AVD.

```bash
scripts/emumanager stop my_phone
```

### delete

Delete an AVD and clean up files. Stops the AVD first if running.

```bash
scripts/emumanager delete my_phone
```

### download

Download a specific system image.

```bash
scripts/emumanager download "system-images;android-36;google_apis_playstore;arm64-v8a"
```

### images

List available system images for the host architecture (API level >= 33).
Installed images are marked with `*`.

```bash
scripts/emumanager images
```

### outdated

Show outdated SDK packages.

```bash
scripts/emumanager outdated
```

### update

Update all installed SDK packages to latest versions.

```bash
scripts/emumanager update
```

## Device Types

The `create` command supports device type flags that automatically select the
latest appropriate system image for the host architecture:

| Flag               | Device Type        | System Image Pattern            |
| ------------------ | ------------------ | ------------------------------- |
| `--mobile`/`--phone` | Mobile/Phone     | `google_apis_playstore`         |
| `--wear`/`--watch`   | Wear OS          | `android-wear` / `android-wear-signed` |
| `--tv`             | Android/Google TV | `android-tv` / `google-tv`      |
| `--auto`           | Automotive        | `android-automotive-playstore`  |

If no device type or image is specified, defaults to mobile/phone.

## Start Mode Options

| Mode | Flag | Description |
| ---- | ---- | ----------- |
| Quick Boot | (default) | Fast startup using snapshots |
| Cold Boot | `--cold-boot` | Bypass Quick Boot, perform full boot |
| Factory Reset | `--wipe-data` | Wipe all data and cold boot |

## Raw Command Fallback

When the script fails (missing dependencies, environment issues), use the
underlying SDK tools directly.

### Environment Setup

```bash
export ANDROID_HOME="${ANDROID_HOME:-$HOME/.local/share/android-sdk}"
export ANDROID_USER_HOME="${ANDROID_USER_HOME:-$HOME/.android}"

SDKMANAGER="$ANDROID_HOME/cmdline-tools/latest/bin/sdkmanager"
AVDMANAGER="$ANDROID_HOME/cmdline-tools/latest/bin/avdmanager"
EMULATOR="$ANDROID_HOME/emulator/emulator"
ADB="$ANDROID_HOME/platform-tools/adb"
```

### Installing SDK Components

```bash
# Accept licenses
yes | "$SDKMANAGER" --licenses

# Install platform-tools (includes adb)
"$SDKMANAGER" --install "platform-tools"

# Install emulator
"$SDKMANAGER" --install "emulator"

# Install build-tools
"$SDKMANAGER" --install "build-tools;36.0.0"

# Install a platform
"$SDKMANAGER" --install "platforms;android-36"
```

### Listing and Installing System Images

```bash
# List available images
"$SDKMANAGER" --list | grep "system-images;android-"

# Install a system image
"$SDKMANAGER" --install "system-images;android-36;google_apis_playstore;arm64-v8a"
```

### Creating an AVD

```bash
# Create AVD with specific image
echo "no" | "$AVDMANAGER" create avd \
  -n my_phone \
  -k "system-images;android-36;google_apis_playstore;arm64-v8a" \
  -d medium_phone
```

### Starting an AVD

```bash
# Start emulator in background
"$EMULATOR" -avd my_phone &

# Wait for device to connect
"$ADB" wait-for-device

# Wait for boot to complete
while [ "$("$ADB" shell getprop init.svc.bootanim | tr -d '\r')" != "stopped" ]; do
  sleep 1
done
```

### Stopping an AVD

```bash
# Find emulator serial and stop it
"$ADB" -s emulator-5554 emu kill
```

## Common Workflows

### First-Time Setup

```bash
scripts/emumanager bootstrap
scripts/emumanager doctor
```

### Creating and Running a Phone Emulator

```bash
scripts/emumanager create my_phone --mobile
scripts/emumanager start my_phone
```

### Creating a Wear OS Emulator

```bash
scripts/emumanager create my_watch --wear
scripts/emumanager start my_watch
```

### Factory Resetting an AVD

```bash
scripts/emumanager start my_phone --wipe-data
```

### Checking for SDK Updates

```bash
scripts/emumanager outdated
scripts/emumanager update
```

## Safety Notes

- Script requires Java 17+ to run SDK tools
- Hardware acceleration (KVM/HVF) is required for x86_64/arm64 emulators
- System image downloads can be several GB
- Some operations require network access
- The script avoids destructive actions unless explicitly requested
- Use `ANDROID_SERIAL` environment variable when multiple emulators are running

## Reference Documentation

- `references/command-index.md` - Detailed subcommand reference with raw commands
- `references/troubleshooting.md` - Common issues and solutions