Agent skill

Android Adb Connect

Connect to an Android phone over ADB wireless (Galaxy S25 at meain's setup), install/launch APKs, take screenshots, and drive the UI via uiautomator.

MITAuto-check passedMobile

Install Android Adb Connect

skills CLI

$ npx skills add meain/dotfiles --skill android-adb-connect -a claude-code

Project install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install meain/dotfiles android-adb-connect --agent claude-code

Project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/meain/dotfiles.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/agents/.agents/skills/android-adb-connect .claude/skills/android-adb-connect && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.

Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/

Paste into Claude Code

Install the "android-adb-connect" agent skill from https://github.com/meain/dotfiles/tree/master/agents/.agents/skills/android-adb-connect into .claude/skills/android-adb-connect/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "android-adb-connect", then confirm the skill loads.

Claude Code copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

$skill-installer

$skill-installer install https://github.com/meain/dotfiles/tree/master/agents/.agents/skills/android-adb-connect

Type this inside Codex. $skill-installer <name> installs a curated skill from openai/skills. The installer writes to $CODEX_HOME/skills (default ~/.codex/skills). Restart Codex if the skill does not show up.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add meain/dotfiles --skill android-adb-connect -a codex

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install meain/dotfiles android-adb-connect --agent codex

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/meain/dotfiles.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/agents/.agents/skills/android-adb-connect .agents/skills/android-adb-connect && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.

Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/

Paste into Codex

Install the "android-adb-connect" agent skill from https://github.com/meain/dotfiles/tree/master/agents/.agents/skills/android-adb-connect into .agents/skills/android-adb-connect/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "android-adb-connect", then confirm the skill loads.

Codex copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add meain/dotfiles --skill android-adb-connect -a cursor

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install meain/dotfiles android-adb-connect --agent cursor

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/meain/dotfiles.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/agents/.agents/skills/android-adb-connect .cursor/skills/android-adb-connect && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.cursor/skills/ instead of .cursor/skills for a personal install.

Cursor skills documentation · loads skills from .cursor/skills/, .agents/skills/, .claude/skills/, .codex/skills/

Paste into Cursor

Install the "android-adb-connect" agent skill from https://github.com/meain/dotfiles/tree/master/agents/.agents/skills/android-adb-connect into .cursor/skills/android-adb-connect/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "android-adb-connect", then confirm the skill loads.

Cursor copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

gemini skills install

$ gemini skills install https://github.com/meain/dotfiles.git --path agents/.agents/skills/android-adb-connect

--scope user (default) or --scope workspace; --path is the subfolder of the repo that holds the skill; --consent skips the security confirmation prompt.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add meain/dotfiles --skill android-adb-connect -a gemini-cli

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install meain/dotfiles android-adb-connect --agent gemini-cli

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/meain/dotfiles.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/agents/.agents/skills/android-adb-connect .gemini/skills/android-adb-connect && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.gemini/skills/ instead of .gemini/skills for a personal install, then run /skills reload.

Gemini CLI skills documentation · loads skills from .gemini/skills/, .agents/skills/

Paste into Gemini CLI

Install the "android-adb-connect" agent skill from https://github.com/meain/dotfiles/tree/master/agents/.agents/skills/android-adb-connect into .gemini/skills/android-adb-connect/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "android-adb-connect", then confirm the skill loads.

Gemini CLI copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install meain/dotfiles android-adb-connect

Installs for Copilot at project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Preview a skill first with gh skill preview. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

skills CLI

$ npx skills add meain/dotfiles --skill android-adb-connect -a github-copilot

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/meain/dotfiles.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/agents/.agents/skills/android-adb-connect .github/skills/android-adb-connect && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.copilot/skills/ instead of .github/skills for a personal install. Commit .github/skills so cloud agent and code review can use it.

GitHub Copilot skills documentation · loads skills from .github/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/

Paste into GitHub Copilot

Install the "android-adb-connect" agent skill from https://github.com/meain/dotfiles/tree/master/agents/.agents/skills/android-adb-connect into .github/skills/android-adb-connect/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "android-adb-connect", then confirm the skill loads.

GitHub Copilot copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add meain/dotfiles --skill android-adb-connect -a opencode

OpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install meain/dotfiles android-adb-connect --agent opencode

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/meain/dotfiles.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/agents/.agents/skills/android-adb-connect .opencode/skills/android-adb-connect && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.config/opencode/skills/ instead of .opencode/skills for a personal install.

OpenCode skills documentation · loads skills from .opencode/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/

Paste into OpenCode

Install the "android-adb-connect" agent skill from https://github.com/meain/dotfiles/tree/master/agents/.agents/skills/android-adb-connect into .opencode/skills/android-adb-connect/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "android-adb-connect", then confirm the skill loads.

OpenCode copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

Facts

Skill name: android-adb-connect
GitHub stars: 285
Token cost: ~1.5k tokens
SKILL.md length: 490 words
Files: 1
Skills in repo: 35
Repo updated: Oct 8, 2026
First seen: Oct 7, 2026
Licence: MIT

At a glance

Connect to an Android phone over ADB wireless (Galaxy S25 at meain's setup), install/launch APKs, take screenshots, and drive the UI via uiautomator.

Works in 4 steps: set up the environment → connect → verify and identify → …
Tasks that involve Mobile testing and debugging
SKILL.md covers When to use, Step 1 — set up the environment, Step 2 — connect and Step 3 — verify and identify, plus 2 more sections
Calls adb and sqlite3

What it does

Android Adb Connect is an agent skill from meain/dotfiles. Connect to an Android phone over ADB wireless (Galaxy S25 at meain's setup), install/launch APKs, take screenshots, and drive the UI via uiautomator. Triggers: "connect to phone", "adb connect", "test on phone", "screenshot the phone", "install on phone", "phone is at 192.168.1.3", any task that needs to drive an Android device from the host.

Its SKILL.md is about 1.5k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. It is a single SKILL.md file with no bundled scripts.

It sits in Mobile, covering Mobile testing and debugging. It works with Android. The repository describes itself as: If there is a shell, there is a way! The licence is MIT.

When your agent uses it

Tasks that involve Mobile testing and debugging

Example prompts

“connect to phone”
“adb connect”
“test on phone”
“/android-adb-connect”

Workflow steps

4 steps, taken from the step headings in SKILL.md.

set up the environment
connect
verify and identify
common operations

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 3e336e2. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

Tool permissions
Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.
From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.
Runs code
Shell commands in SKILL.md call:
- adb
- sqlite3
From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.
Network
No URLs in SKILL.md.
From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.
Credentials
Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.
From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.

Context cost

Android Adb Connect loads about 1.5k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 91 tokens; SKILL.md has 490 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it: ~91
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches: ~1.5k

Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.

Safety

Auto-check passed

The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.

Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.

SKILL.md

The full file from meain/dotfiles at commit 3e336e2, republished under its MIT licence (© meain). 490 words, ~1,465 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/android-adb-connect/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).

name: android-adb-connect
description: Connect to an Android phone over ADB wireless (Galaxy S25 at meain's setup), install/launch APKs, take screenshots, and drive the UI via uiautomator. Triggers: "connect to phone", "adb connect", "test on phone", "screenshot the phone", "install on phone", "phone is at 192.168.1.3", any task that needs to drive an Android device from the host.
argument-hint: [host:port or pairing code]

Connect to Android phone over ADB wireless

This skill captures the actual quirks of meain's setup. The phone is a Samsung Galaxy S25 on the same WiFi as the host. The ADB SDK lives at ~/Android/sdk-edo (not the system path) — always export ANDROID_HOME=$HOME/Android/sdk-edo before running adb.

When to use

The user says "connect to the phone", "test on phone", "adb connect …"
They paste a host:port and optionally a 6-digit pairing code
You need to install an APK on the device, drive the UI, or screenshot it
A previous connection dropped (port rotates every time wireless debugging is toggled)

Step 1 — set up the environment

bash

export ANDROID_HOME=$HOME/Android/sdk-edo
# Java is only needed for builds, not for adb itself
export PATH=$ANDROID_HOME/platform-tools:$PATH

adb devices   # check what's already attached

If adb isn't found, the SDK is at ~/Android/sdk-edo/platform-tools/adb.

If any entry shows status device, check if it's the Galaxy S25 before proceeding to connect:

bash

adb -s <device-id> shell getprop ro.product.model
# SM-S938B → it's the Galaxy S25, use this device ID and skip Step 2 entirely

Use that ID with -s for all subsequent commands.

Step 2 — connect

Already paired (the common case)

The phone remembers the pairing across reboots, but the wireless port changes every time Wireless Debugging is toggled. The user will typically paste a new host:port — use it directly:

bash

adb connect 192.168.1.3:38181

If that fails with failed to authenticate or hangs, the pairing has expired — go to Step 2b.

First-time or expired pairing

The user needs to open Settings → Developer options → Wireless debugging → Pair device with pairing code on the phone. That screen shows a host:pairing_port and a 6-digit code. They are separate from the regular host:port shown on the main Wireless debugging screen.

bash

adb pair 192.168.1.3:40319        # pairing port from the phone (different from connect port)
# adb prompts for the code; or pass it inline:
adb pair 192.168.1.3:40319 657538

Then connect using the regular (non-pairing) port shown on the main Wireless debugging screen:

bash

adb connect 192.168.1.3:38181

Discovering the port

If the user can't read the port off the phone, try mDNS:

bash

adb mdns services

It lists adb-tls-pairing and adb-tls-connect entries with their ports. The pairing entry rotates each time the pairing code screen is opened.

Show full SKILL.md (203 more words)Show less

TLS failures

SSLV3_ALERT_CERTIFICATE_UNKNOWN or "TLS handshake failed" means the host and phone disagree on the pairing — re-pair from scratch via Step 2b. Don't retry the same adb connect in a loop.

Step 3 — verify and identify

bash

adb devices
# Should show e.g. 192.168.1.3:38181  device

Always pass -s <host:port> to subsequent commands when more than one device is listed (the adb-RZGY... mDNS entry can show up alongside the IP one).

Step 4 — common operations

Install / launch an app

bash

adb -s 192.168.1.3:38181 install -r app/build/outputs/apk/debug/app-debug.apk
adb -s 192.168.1.3:38181 shell am force-stop com.example.app
adb -s 192.168.1.3:38181 shell am start -n com.example.app/.MainActivity

Screenshot

bash

adb -s 192.168.1.3:38181 exec-out screencap -p > /tmp/phone.png
# Read it with the Read tool. If the API rejects large images, resize:
# sips -z 1200 555 /tmp/phone.png --out /tmp/phone_small.png

Drive the UI (taps, text)

Coordinates are in the device's native resolution (1080×2340 on the S25). Don't scale to display size. Get exact bounds via:

bash

adb -s 192.168.1.3:38181 shell uiautomator dump /sdcard/window.xml >/dev/null
adb -s 192.168.1.3:38181 shell cat /sdcard/window.xml \
  | tr '>' '\n' \
  | grep -oE '(text|content-desc|bounds)="[^"]+'

Then tap the center of bounds="[x1,y1][x2,y2]":

bash

adb -s 192.168.1.3:38181 shell input tap 540 1200
adb -s 192.168.1.3:38181 shell input text "hello%sworld"   # %s for spaces
adb -s 192.168.1.3:38181 shell input keyevent KEYCODE_BACK
adb -s 192.168.1.3:38181 shell input keyevent KEYCODE_WAKEUP

Quirks of input text:

Spaces must be %s, not literal spaces.
Avoid ! — zsh history expansion can trigger before the command reaches the device.
Newlines aren't supported; use KEYCODE_ENTER separately.

Keep screen awake during testing

bash

adb -s 192.168.1.3:38181 shell svc power stayon true    # USB or AC
# Always turn it back off when done:
adb -s 192.168.1.3:38181 shell svc power stayon false

Logs

bash

adb -s 192.168.1.3:38181 logcat -d -t 300 | grep com.example.app

Pulling the app database (Room WAL gotcha)

adb pull of just the .db file is incomplete because Room uses WAL mode. Force-stop the app first to flush, then pull all three files:

bash

adb -s 192.168.1.3:38181 shell am force-stop com.example.app
for f in app.db app.db-wal app.db-shm; do
  adb -s 192.168.1.3:38181 shell "run-as com.example.app cat databases/$f 2>/dev/null" > /tmp/$f
done
sqlite3 /tmp/app.db "SELECT ..."

The device's sqlite3 binary is missing on stock Samsung — always pull and query locally.

Project context

For the Edo project at /Users/meain/dev/src/edo, see its CLAUDE.md for the install/launch/screenshot pattern with the actual package name (com.edo.app).

Files

Just SKILL.md in agents/.agents/skills/android-adb-connect of meain/dotfiles.

Open the folder on GitHubat commit 3e336e2

Compare with similar skills

Android Adb Connect next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.

Android Adb Connect compared with similar skills
Skill	Stars	Used in	Tokens	Auto-check	Licence	Repo updated
Android Adb Connect this skillmeain/dotfiles	285	—	~1.5k	Automated safety check: Pass	MIT	2 days ago
Phone HarnessShawnPana/phone-harness	3.2k	—	~4.3k	Automated safety check: Pass	MIT	today
Mobile QAtloncorp/tlon-apps	107	—	~2.4k	Automated safety check: Pass	MIT	yesterday
Androidyang1ming/android-harness	176	—	~259	Automated safety check: Pass	MIT	2 mo ago
Debug Receiverstimusus/Shuttle2	229	—	~1.9k	Automated safety check: Pass	Apache-2.0	today
Debug Bridgegetknit/knit	133	—	~2.3k	Automated safety check: Pass	GPL-3.0	today

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Questions about Android Adb Connect

What does Android Adb Connect do?

Connect to an Android phone over ADB wireless (Galaxy S25 at meain's setup), install/launch APKs, take screenshots, and drive the UI via uiautomator. Android Adb Connect is an agent skill from meain/dotfiles. Connect to an Android phone over ADB wireless (Galaxy S25 at meain's setup), install/launch APKs, take screenshots, and drive the UI via uiautomator.

When should I use Android Adb Connect?

Android Adb Connect fits situations like: tasks that involve Mobile testing and debugging.

How do I install Android Adb Connect in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add meain/dotfiles --skill android-adb-connect -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (agents/.agents/skills/android-adb-connect in meain/dotfiles) into .claude/skills/android-adb-connect in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Android Adb Connect in Codex?

Run `npx skills add meain/dotfiles --skill android-adb-connect -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (agents/.agents/skills/android-adb-connect in meain/dotfiles) into .agents/skills/android-adb-connect in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Android Adb Connect in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?

Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add meain/dotfiles --skill android-adb-connect -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/android-adb-connect, .gemini/skills/android-adb-connect, .github/skills/android-adb-connect and .opencode/skills/android-adb-connect in your project.

What does Android Adb Connect need to run?

Going by SKILL.md and its folder, Android Adb Connect needs the command-line tools its instructions call (adb and sqlite3).

Does Android Adb Connect access the network?

SKILL.md contains no URLs. Any network use would come from the scripts or tools the agent runs. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is Android Adb Connect safe to install?

Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.

What licence does Android Adb Connect use?

Android Adb Connect is published under the MIT licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does Android Adb Connect use?

About 1.5k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 5.9k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.

What are the alternatives to Android Adb Connect?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Android Adb Connect: Phone Harness (ShawnPana/phone-harness, 3.2k stars), Mobile QA (tloncorp/tlon-apps, 107 stars), Android (yang1ming/android-harness, 176 stars) and Debug Receivers (timusus/Shuttle2, 229 stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Android Adb Connect?

meain (a GitHub user) maintains it in meain/dotfiles, which has 285 GitHub stars. The repository holds 35 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 8, 2026.

Source: meain/dotfiles on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.

Install Android Adb Connect

Facts

At a glance

What it does

When your agent uses it

Example prompts

Workflow steps

What it can do on your machine

Tool permissions

Runs code

Network

Credentials

Context cost

Safety

SKILL.md

Connect to Android phone over ADB wireless

When to use

Step 1 — set up the environment

Step 2 — connect

Already paired (the common case)

First-time or expired pairing

Discovering the port

TLS failures

Step 3 — verify and identify

Step 4 — common operations

Install / launch an app

Screenshot

Drive the UI (taps, text)

Keep screen awake during testing

Logs

Pulling the app database (Room WAL gotcha)

Project context

Files

Compare with similar skills

Similar skills

More from meain/dotfiles

Related

Questions about Android Adb Connect