# Adb > Use ADB to interact with an Android device or emulator. Takes a screenshot, understands the screen, performs actions (tap, swipe, type, navigate), and loops until the mission is complete. - Skill: `morphet81/adb` (Agent Skill) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add morphet81/adb` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/morphet81/adb/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Coding & Dev Tools - Author: morphet81 (https://skillmd.com/u/morphet81) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/morphet81/adb --- Use ADB commands to interact with an Android device or emulator to complete a user-defined mission. Operates in a **screenshot-act-verify loop** until the mission is accomplished. **Usage:** - `/adb ` — Describe what you want done on the device (e.g., "open Settings and enable Dark Mode") **Prerequisites:** - `adb` must be in PATH - A device or emulator must be connected **Instructions:** 1. **Verify ADB connectivity:** - Run `adb devices` and confirm at least one device is listed (not "unauthorized") - If no device is found, inform the user and **STOP** - If multiple devices are found, use `AskUserQuestion` to ask which device to target, then pass `-s ` to all subsequent `adb` commands 2. **Understand the mission:** - Parse `$ARGUMENTS` as the mission description - If `$ARGUMENTS` is empty, use `AskUserQuestion` to ask what the user wants to accomplish on the device - Break the mission into a mental checklist of expected steps (do not output this — it's for your own planning) 3. **Enter the screenshot-act-verify loop:** Repeat the following cycle until the mission is complete or you determine it cannot be completed: **a) Take a screenshot:** ```bash mkdir -p .tmp && adb exec-out screencap -p > .tmp/screen.png ``` - Read the screenshot with the `Read` tool to understand the current screen state **b) Analyze the screen:** - Identify what app/screen is currently displayed - Determine what UI elements are visible (buttons, text fields, toggles, lists, etc.) - Assess progress toward the mission goal - If the screen is unclear or you need more detail about the UI element tree, run a UI dump: ```bash adb shell uiautomator dump /sdcard/ui.xml && adb pull /sdcard/ui.xml .tmp/ui.xml ``` Then read `.tmp/ui.xml` to get element bounds, text, and resource IDs for precise tap coordinates. **c) Decide and execute the next action:** Use one or more of these ADB commands: | Action | Command | |--------|---------| | Tap at coordinates | `adb shell input tap ` | | Swipe | `adb shell input swipe [duration_ms]` | | Type text | `adb shell input text ""` | | Press Back | `adb shell input keyevent 4` | | Press Home | `adb shell input keyevent 3` | | Press Enter | `adb shell input keyevent 66` | | Press Recent Apps | `adb shell input keyevent 187` | | Launch an app | `adb shell am start -n /` | | Open a URL | `adb shell am start -a android.intent.action.VIEW -d ""` | | Long press | `adb shell input swipe 1000` | **Coordinate tips:** - When tapping a UI element, aim for its center based on the screenshot or the `bounds` attribute from the UI dump (e.g., bounds `[0,200][1080,350]` → tap at `540,275`) - For scrolling down, swipe from the lower third to the upper third of the screen (e.g., `adb shell input swipe 540 1500 540 500 300`) - For text input, tap the field first, wait briefly, then type **d) Wait and verify:** - After each action, wait briefly for the UI to settle (`sleep 1`) - Take another screenshot to verify the action had the expected effect - If the action did not work as expected (e.g., wrong element tapped, dialog appeared, screen didn't change), adjust and retry - **Do not retry the same failing action more than 2 times** — if it keeps failing, try an alternative approach (different coordinates, different navigation path, use the UI dump for precise bounds) 4. **Handle common situations:** - **Keyboard covering the screen:** After typing, press Back (`keyevent 4`) to dismiss the keyboard before taking a verification screenshot - **Dialogs/popups:** If an unexpected dialog appears, read it and dismiss it appropriately (tap "OK", "Allow", "Deny", etc. based on what makes sense for the mission) - **Loading screens:** If the screen shows a loading state, wait 2-3 seconds and take another screenshot - **App not installed:** If the target app isn't found, inform the user and **STOP** - **Permission prompts:** Grant permissions that are necessary for the mission (tap "Allow"), deny those that aren't relevant - **Screen locked:** If the device shows a lock screen, try swiping up (`adb shell input swipe 540 1800 540 800`) to unlock. If a PIN/password is needed, ask the user 5. **Check logcat when things go wrong:** - If an app crashes or behaves unexpectedly, check recent logs: ```bash adb logcat -d -t 50 ``` - Use the logs to understand what happened and inform the user if the issue is not recoverable 6. **Mission complete:** - Once the mission objective is achieved, take a final screenshot as confirmation - Present the final screenshot to the user with a brief summary: ``` ## Mission Complete Final state: Actions taken: steps ``` 7. **Cleanup:** - Remove temporary files: ```bash rm -f .tmp/screen.png .tmp/ui.xml ``` --- ## Edge Cases - If `adb` is not found in PATH, display setup instructions and **STOP** - If the device becomes disconnected mid-mission, attempt `adb devices` to check — if disconnected, inform the user and **STOP** - If the mission requires installing an app, ask the user for the APK path or package name before proceeding - If you get stuck in a loop (same screen after 3 attempts), take a UI dump, reassess, and try a completely different approach. If still stuck, inform the user and ask for guidance - If the screen resolution is unknown, read it from the first screenshot dimensions or run `adb shell wm size`