Android CLI Specialist

This skill provides instructions for using the android CLI tool. The tool includes various commands for creating projects, running applications, interacting with devices, and managing the CLI environment.

Installation

If the android tool is not in the path, install it. To install run the following command: Linux x86-64: curl -fsSL https://dl.google.com/android/cli/latest/linux_x86_64/install.sh | bash Linux ARM64: curl -fsSL https://dl.google.com/android/cli/latest/linux_arm64/install.sh | bash Mac Arm: curl -fsSL https://dl.google.com/android/cli/latest/darwin_arm64/install.sh | bash Mac Intel: curl -fsSL https://dl.google.com/android/cli/latest/darwin_x86_64/install.sh | bash Windows: curl -fsSL https://dl.google.com/android/cli/latest/windows_x86_64/install.cmd -o "%TEMP%\i.cmd" && "%TEMP%\i.cmd"

SDK management

To manage the installation of Android SDKs and tools, use the sdk command. For example:

• android sdk install <package>[@<version>]...: Install specific packages. Multiple packages can be specified, separated by spaces. <version> defaults to latest. For example: android sdk install platforms/android-30@2 platforms/android-34
• android sdk update [<pkg-name>]: Update a specific package or all packages to the latest version.
• android sdk remove <pkg-name>: Remove a package from the local SDK.
• android sdk list --all: List installed and available SDK packages.

Project creation

Create projects from templates using the create command.

For example: android create empty-activity --name="My App" --output=./my-app

Interacting with Android devices

Use the android layout command to inspect the UI layout of an Android application in JSON format. Use the android screen command to visually inspect the UI and obtain bounding coordinates for visual regions.

IMPORTANT: Before using android layout or android screen, you MUST read this reference: interact.md The reference file interact.md contains instructions for properly interacting with Android devices. Follow its instructions exactly.

Running journey tests

Journey tests involve device interaction; use the android layout and android screen commands to evaluate Journeys. The instructions for device interaction apply here as well.

IMPORTANT: Before evaluating a journey, you MUST read this reference: journeys.md The reference file journeys.md contains instructions for correctly evaluating an Android journey. Follow its instructions exactly.

Doc searching

The docs command searches authoritative, high-quality Android developer documentation in the Android Knowledge Base. By providing a few keywords, this tool will return high quality articles that contain examples or guidance on how to use Android APIs or libraries. Use this tool to obtain additional information on how to achieve Android-specific tasks or to know more about Android APIs, surfaces, libraries, or devices.

Always use this tool to get the most up-to-date information about Android concepts. Typical good use cases are:

• Finding migration guides for APIs.
• Finding examples for APIs.
• Finding up-to-date information about Android APIs.
• Finding best practices for Android concepts.

Running APKs

Use the run command to run Android apps.

Managing emulators

Manage Android Virtual Devices (AVDs) using the android emulator command

Capturing screenshots

Capture an image of the current screen of a connected Android device and output it to a file using the android screen command.

Managing skills

Manage agent skills for Android using the android skills command.

Updating the CLI

Update the Android CLI using the android update command.

android help output

Usage: android [-Vhv] [--sdk=PARAM] [COMMAND] -h, --help Shows the help message for the specified command --sdk=PARAM Path to the Android SDK -v, --verbose Enable verbose output for troubleshooting -V, --version Print version information and exit Commands: auth Authentication commands. Log in/out of Google services for Android CLI completion Installs shell autocomplete configuration for Android CLI in the current user profile create Creates a new Android project from available templates. You can specify the project name, output directory, minSdk value, and dry-run execution describe Analyzes an Android project to generate descriptive metadata. This command identifies and outputs the paths to JSON files that detail the project's structure, including build targets and their corresponding output artifact locations (such as APKs). This information enables other tools and commands to locate build artifacts efficiently device Manage physical Android devices. Create remote physical device reservations docs Searches and fetches developer documentation from the official Android Knowledge Base emulator Manages Android Virtual Devices (AVDs). Includes commands to start, stop, list, and view details about emulators help Shows the help information for a specified command info Prints environment information including SDK location, connected devices, and configuration variables init Initializes the environment for Android CLI. Sets up required configurations, directories, and default skills install Installs an Android app (one or more APKs) on a connected device or emulator without activating any components, using incremental optimizations for faster deployment than adb layout Returns the layout tree of an app run Builds, deploys, and launches an Android app on a connected device or emulator screen Captures and inspects the screen of a connected Android device or emulator sdk Manages the Android SDK installation. Includes commands to install, update, remove, and list available and installed SDK packages skills Manages Android CLI skills. Includes commands to install, remove, list, and search for skills by keyword studio Connects Android CLI to a running Android Studio instance to analyze files, find declarations and usages, render Compose previews, and look up library versions update Updates Android CLI to the latest version

auth Usage: android auth [-h] [COMMAND] Authentication commands. Log in/out of Google services for Android CLI

      Options:
        -h, --help       Shows the help message for the specified command
      
      android options:
            --sdk=PARAM  Path to the Android SDK
        -v, --verbose    Enable verbose output for troubleshooting
        -V, --version    Print version information and exit
      Commands:
        login   Log in to Google services for Android CLI
        logout  Log out from Google services for Android CLI
        status  Prints the currently signed-in account

completion Usage: android completion [-h] [<shell>] Installs shell autocomplete configuration for Android CLI in the current user profile

      Options:
        -h, --help       Shows the help message for the specified command
      
      android options:
            --sdk=PARAM  Path to the Android SDK
        -v, --verbose    Enable verbose output for troubleshooting
        -V, --version    Print version information and exit
      
      Positional Parameters:
        <shell>  If provided, prints the completion configuration script for
                 the specified shell without installing it. Supports Bash
                 and Zsh

create Usage: android create [-h] [--application-id=PARAM] [--force] [--list] [--min-sdk=PARAM] [--name=PARAM] [--namespace=PARAM] [--output=PARAM] [<template-name>] Creates a new Android project from available templates. You can specify the project name, output directory, minSdk value, and dry-run execution

      Options:
            --application-id=PARAM  The app ID for the app, for example
                                    `com.example.myapp`
            --force                 Allow creating the project in a
                                    non-empty directory, overwriting
                                    existing files
        -h, --help                  Shows the help message for the specified
                                    command
            --list                  List all available templates
            --min-sdk=PARAM         The `minSdk` value supported by the app
                                    (the default value is defined in the
                                    template)
            --name=PARAM            The name of the app, for example `My
                                    Application`
            --namespace=PARAM       The namespace for resources and package
                                    name for Kotlin source files
        -o, --output=PARAM          The destination project directory path
                                    (the default value is `.`)
      
      android options:
            --sdk=PARAM             Path to the Android SDK
        -v, --verbose               Enable verbose output for
                                    troubleshooting
        -V, --version               Print version information and exit
      
      Positional Parameters:
        <template-name>  The template name

describe Usage: android describe [-h] [--project_dir=PARAM] Analyzes an Android project to generate descriptive metadata. This command identifies and outputs the paths to JSON files that detail the project's structure, including build targets and their corresponding output artifact locations (such as APKs). This information enables other tools and commands to locate build artifacts efficiently

      Options:
        -h, --help               Shows the help message for the specified
                                 command
            --project_dir=PARAM  The project directory to describe
      
      android options:
            --sdk=PARAM          Path to the Android SDK
        -v, --verbose            Enable verbose output for troubleshooting
        -V, --version            Print version information and exit

device Usage: android device [-h] [COMMAND] Manage physical Android devices. Create remote physical device reservations

      Options:
        -h, --help       Shows the help message for the specified command
      
      android options:
            --sdk=PARAM  Path to the Android SDK
        -v, --verbose    Enable verbose output for troubleshooting
        -V, --version    Print version information and exit
      Commands:
        remote  Manage remote physical devices. Includes commands to list,
                reserve, connect to, and manage remote device reservations

docs Usage: android docs [-h] [COMMAND] Searches and fetches developer documentation from the official Android Knowledge Base

      Options:
        -h, --help       Shows the help message for the specified command
      
      android options:
            --sdk=PARAM  Path to the Android SDK
        -v, --verbose    Enable verbose output for troubleshooting
        -V, --version    Print version information and exit
      Commands:
        fetch   Fetches an Android documentation article from a URL starting
                with `kb://`
        search  Searches Android documentation. Enclose keywords in quotes

emulator Usage: android emulator [-h] [COMMAND] Manages Android Virtual Devices (AVDs). Includes commands to start, stop, list, and view details about emulators

      Options:
        -h, --help       Shows the help message for the specified command
      
      android options:
            --sdk=PARAM  Path to the Android SDK
        -v, --verbose    Enable verbose output for troubleshooting
        -V, --version    Print version information and exit
      Commands:
        create  Creates a virtual device
        list    Lists available virtual devices
        remove  Deletes a virtual device
        start   Launches the specified virtual device. This command returns
                when the emulator is fully started and ready to use
        stop    Stops the specified virtual device

help Usage: android help [-h] [COMMAND] Shows the help information for a specified command

      Options:
        -h, --help       Shows the help message for the specified command
      
      android options:
            --sdk=PARAM  Path to the Android SDK
        -v, --verbose    Enable verbose output for troubleshooting
        -V, --version    Print version information and exit
      
      Positional Parameters:
        COMMAND  The command to show help for

info Usage: android info [-h] [<field>] Prints environment information including SDK location, connected devices, and configuration variables

      Options:
        -h, --help       Shows the help message for the specified command
      
      android options:
            --sdk=PARAM  Path to the Android SDK
        -v, --verbose    Enable verbose output for troubleshooting
        -V, --version    Print version information and exit
      
      Positional Parameters:
        <field>  The specific field to print the value of. If omitted,
                 prints all fields

init Usage: android init [-h] Initializes the environment for Android CLI. Sets up required configurations, directories, and default skills

      Options:
        -h, --help       Shows the help message for the specified command
      
      android options:
            --sdk=PARAM  Path to the Android SDK
        -v, --verbose    Enable verbose output for troubleshooting
        -V, --version    Print version information and exit

install Usage: android install [-h] [--apks=PARAM] [--device=PARAM] [--install-options=PARAM] [--use-delta-install] Installs an Android app (one or more APKs) on a connected device or emulator without activating any components, using incremental optimizations for faster deployment than adb

      Options:
            --apks=PARAM             The paths to the APKs, comma separated
            --device=PARAM           The device serial number
        -h, --help                   Shows the help message for the
                                     specified command
            --install-options=PARAM  Additional options or flags to pass to
                                     package manager install (for example,
                                     `-g`, `-d`)
            --use-delta-install      Use fast delta install (speeds up
                                     incremental updates by transferring
                                     only modified code and resources;
                                     default: `true`)
      
      android options:
            --sdk=PARAM              Path to the Android SDK
        -v, --verbose                Enable verbose output for
                                     troubleshooting
        -V, --version                Print version information and exit

layout Usage: android layout [-dhp] [--device=PARAM] [--flat] [--full] [--no-idle] [--output=PARAM] Returns the layout tree of an app

      Options:
            --device=PARAM  The device serial number
        -d, --diff          Deprecated; no-op flag. Will be removed in a
                            future release
            --flat          Returns a flat list instead of a tree
            --full          Returns the full tree, including non-interactive
                            and hidden elements
        -h, --help          Shows the help message for the specified command
            --no-idle       Don't wait for layout idle state when fetching
                            layout
        -o, --output=PARAM  Writes the layout to the specified file or
                            directory. If omitted, prints to standard output
        -p, --pretty        Pretty-prints the returned JSON
      
      android options:
            --sdk=PARAM     Path to the Android SDK
        -v, --verbose       Enable verbose output for troubleshooting
        -V, --version       Print version information and exit

run Usage: android run [-h] [--activity=PARAM] [--apks=PARAM] [--debug] [--device=PARAM] [--install-options=PARAM] [--type=PARAM] [--use-delta-install] Builds, deploys, and launches an Android app on a connected device or emulator

      Options:
            --activity=PARAM         The activity name
            --apks=PARAM             The paths to the APKs, comma separated
            --debug                  Run in debug mode
            --device=PARAM           The device serial number
        -h, --help                   Shows the help message for the
                                     specified command
            --install-options=PARAM  Additional options or flags to pass to
                                     package manager install (for example,
                                     `-g`, `-d`)
            --type=PARAM             The component type (`ACTIVITY`,
                                     `WATCH_FACE`, `TILE`, `COMPLICATION`,
                                     `DECLARATIVE_WATCH_FACE`,
                                     `WEAR_WIDGET`)
            --use-delta-install      Use fast delta install (speeds up
                                     incremental updates by transferring
                                     only modified code and resources;
                                     default: `true`)
      
      android options:
            --sdk=PARAM              Path to the Android SDK
        -v, --verbose                Enable verbose output for
                                     troubleshooting
        -V, --version                Print version information and exit

screen Usage: android screen [-h] [COMMAND] Captures and inspects the screen of a connected Android device or emulator

      Options:
        -h, --help       Shows the help message for the specified command
      
      android options:
            --sdk=PARAM  Path to the Android SDK
        -v, --verbose    Enable verbose output for troubleshooting
        -V, --version    Print version information and exit
      Commands:
        capture  Outputs the device screen to a PNG
        resolve  Targets UI elements visually. Substitutes bounding box
                 coordinates from an annotated screenshot into a string,
                 replacing all instances of `#N` with the center coordinates
                 of the bounding box labeled `N`

sdk Usage: android sdk [-h] [--ignore-outdated-xmls] [--platform=PARAM] [COMMAND] Manages the Android SDK installation. Includes commands to install, update, remove, and list available and installed SDK packages

      Options:
        -h, --help                  Shows the help message for the specified
                                    command
            --ignore-outdated-xmls  When installing or updating packages, do
                                    not update other packages' XML files
            --platform=PARAM        Target platform `<os>_<arch>` (for
                                    example, `linux_x86_64`, `mac_arm64`, or
                                    `windows_x86`); defaults to the current
                                    host
      
      android options:
            --sdk=PARAM             Path to the Android SDK
        -v, --verbose               Enable verbose output for
                                    troubleshooting
        -V, --version               Print version information and exit
      Commands:
        install  Installs SDK packages
        list     Lists installed and available SDK packages
        remove   Removes packages from the SDK
        update   Updates one or all packages to the latest version

skills Usage: android skills [-h] [COMMAND] Manages Android CLI skills. Includes commands to install, remove, list, and search for skills by keyword

      Options:
        -h, --help       Shows the help message for the specified command
      
      android options:
            --sdk=PARAM  Path to the Android SDK
        -v, --verbose    Enable verbose output for troubleshooting
        -V, --version    Print version information and exit
      Commands:
        add     Installs a specific skill by its ID to your environment
        find    Searches for available skills in the repository matching a
                keyword
        list    Lists installed and available skills
        remove  Removes an installed skill by its ID
        update  Updates installed skills

studio Usage: android studio [-h] [COMMAND] Connects Android CLI to a running Android Studio instance to analyze files, find declarations and usages, render Compose previews, and look up library versions

      Options:
        -h, --help       Shows the help message for the specified command
      
      android options:
            --sdk=PARAM  Path to the Android SDK
        -v, --verbose    Enable verbose output for troubleshooting
        -V, --version    Print version information and exit
      Commands:
        analyze-file            Analyzes a file in Android Studio
        check                   Checks the status of running Android Studio
                                instances
        find-declaration        Finds the declaration of a symbol
        find-usages             Finds usages of a symbol
        open-file               Opens a file in Android Studio
        render-compose-preview  Renders a Compose preview in Android Studio
        version-lookup          Looks up the latest available versions of
                                Maven artifacts, Android versions, and SDK
                                tools

update Usage: android update [-h] [--url=PARAM] Updates Android CLI to the latest version

      Options:
        -h, --help       Shows the help message for the specified command
            --url=PARAM  The URL to download the update from
      
      android options:
            --sdk=PARAM  Path to the Android SDK
        -v, --verbose    Enable verbose output for troubleshooting
        -V, --version    Print version information and exit