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Agent skill

Android Dev

by zai-org in zai-org/ZCode

Build, run, inspect, and lightly automate Android apps with the android-emulator MCP tools.

Apache-2.0Auto-check passedMobile

Install Android Dev

skills CLI
$ npx skills add zai-org/ZCode --skill android-dev -a claude-code

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

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install zai-org/ZCode android-dev --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/zai-org/ZCode.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/apps/zcode-cli/packages/android-emulator-plugin/skills/android-dev .claude/skills/android-dev && 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/

Facts

Skill name
android-dev
GitHub stars
7.7k
Token cost
~1.7k tokens
SKILL.md length
823 words
Files
2
Skills in repo
5
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
Apache-2.0

At a glance

Build, run, inspect, and lightly automate Android apps with the android-emulator MCP tools.

  • Works in 6 steps: Call… → Discover the project with… → Build and launch with… → …
  • Tasks that involve Android development
  • SKILL.md covers ZCode Tool Names, Default Workflow, Tool Notes and Project Requirements, plus 2 more sections
  • Calls gradle

What it does

Android Dev is an agent skill from zai-org/ZCode. Build, run, inspect, and lightly automate Android apps with the android-emulator MCP tools.

Its SKILL.md is about 1.7k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. The skill folder holds 1 other file (for example `INSTALL_ENVIRONMENT.md`).

It sits in Mobile, covering Android development and MCP servers. It works with Android and Model Context Protocol. The repository describes itself as: Z.ai's coding agent harness. Powerful, intelligent, extensible. The licence is Apache-2.0.

When your agent uses it

  • Tasks that involve Android development
  • Tasks that involve MCP servers

Example prompts

  • “/android-dev”

Workflow steps

6 steps, taken from the first numbered list in SKILL.md.

  1. Call mcpandroid_emulatorandroid_preflight first.
  2. Discover the project with mcpandroid_emulatorandroid_discover_project.
  3. Build and launch with mcpandroid_emulatorandroid_build_and_run.
  4. Verify the app visually with mcpandroid_emulatorandroid_screenshot.
  5. For runtime checks, use mcpandroid_emulatorandroid_open_url, mcpandroid_emulatorandroid_launch_app…
  6. For UI automation, call mcpandroid_emulatorandroid_ui_status first.

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit aac4755. 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:

    • gradle

    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 Dev loads about 1.7k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 26 tokens; SKILL.md has 823 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~26
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~1.7k

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 zai-org/ZCode at commit aac4755, republished under its Apache-2.0 licence (© zai-org). 823 words, ~1,723 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/android-dev/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder). This skill also uses 1 other file; get the full folder from GitHub.
name
android-dev
description
Build, run, inspect, and lightly automate Android apps with the android-emulator MCP tools.

Android Dev

Use this skill when the user wants you to create, modify, build, run, debug, screenshot, or inspect an Android app in the desktop Android Emulator or on a USB-connected Android device.

ZCode Tool Names

This skill assumes the MCP server is configured in zcode as android_emulator. In zcode, MCP tools are exposed to the model as mcp__android_emulator__<tool>.

If the server is configured with a different name, use the corresponding visible mcp__<server>__... tool names from the active zcode tool list.

Default Workflow

  1. Call mcp__android_emulator__android_preflight first. - If the required environment is not ready, follow INSTALL_ENVIRONMENT.md before continuing. Missing emulator-only checks do not block a selected ready USB device target. - Environment setup is done with the fixed macOS shell or Windows PowerShell procedure in that file; do not improvise unrelated install commands. - Do not accept Android SDK licenses, enter passwords, wipe emulator data, or delete AVDs on the user's behalf. Stop and ask the user for those cases.
  2. Discover the project with mcp__android_emulator__android_discover_project.
    • If no Android project exists and the user wants a new app, call mcp__android_emulator__android_create_app.
    • Prefer editing Kotlin/Compose files directly after project creation.
    • mcp__android_emulator__android_create_app refuses to overwrite generated files by default; only pass overwrite: true after explicit user confirmation.
    • Read warnings in the discovery result before building and repair missing gradle.properties, local.properties, or Gradle wrapper issues.
  3. Build and launch with mcp__android_emulator__android_build_and_run.
    • Pass module, variant, or applicationId when discovery is ambiguous.
    • Use a selected serial when the user wants a specific USB device or emulator. Use mcp__android_emulator__android_start_emulator only when a new GUI emulator is needed, then pass its returned serial to follow-up tools.
    • Read the returned output first for compile errors; use the returned log path only when more detail is needed.
  4. Verify the app visually with mcp__android_emulator__android_screenshot.
  5. For runtime checks, use mcp__android_emulator__android_open_url, mcp__android_emulator__android_launch_app, mcp__android_emulator__android_terminate_app, and mcp__android_emulator__android_logs.
  6. For UI automation, call mcp__android_emulator__android_ui_status first.
    • Prefer mcp__android_emulator__android_ui_describe or mcp__android_emulator__android_ui_resolve before tapping coordinates.
    • mcp__android_emulator__android_ui_tap, mcp__android_emulator__android_ui_swipe, mcp__android_emulator__android_ui_type_text, and mcp__android_emulator__android_ui_keyevent use ADB/UI Automator based backends.
    • If UI automation is unavailable, continue with build/run/screenshot checks and say UI automation is unavailable.

Tool Notes

  • This MVP intentionally uses Android Emulator's own desktop window for rendering. Do not create or expect a custom emulator window.
  • mcp__android_emulator__android_preflight is a pure diagnostic check. Use INSTALL_ENVIRONMENT.md for guided environment setup when it reports missing dependencies.
  • The target MCP tools accept serial for a specific USB device or emulator and avd for the fallback emulator to start only when no target is ready. mcp__android_emulator__android_start_emulator starts a new GUI emulator and does not reuse existing targets.
  • Keep emulator interactions through MCP tools instead of raw adb/emulator commands unless a tool does not cover the operation.
  • mcp__android_emulator__android_create_app generates a minimal Kotlin + Jetpack Compose app suitable for model-driven iteration.
  • mcp__android_emulator__android_build_app only builds. mcp__android_emulator__android_build_and_run builds, reuses the selected Android target by serial or starts a GUI emulator when needed, installs, and launches the app.
  • Android SDK path, default AVD, API level, build-tools version, system image variant/ABI, and JDK major version come from plugin user config and are exposed to the MCP server as ANDROID_PLUGIN_* environment variables.
Show full SKILL.md (317 more words)Show less

Project Requirements

When creating or repairing a project manually, make sure these files exist before building:

  • settings.gradle or settings.gradle.kts
  • root build.gradle or build.gradle.kts
  • app/build.gradle or app/build.gradle.kts
  • gradle.properties with android.useAndroidX=true
  • local.properties with sdk.dir=<Android SDK path> when the SDK is not otherwise discoverable
  • a Gradle wrapper (gradlew / gradlew.bat) or gradle available on PATH

Build Troubleshooting

  • If Gradle reports android.useAndroidX property is not enabled, create or update gradle.properties with android.useAndroidX=true.
  • If android_preflight reports Gradle as not found, follow the quick Gradle fix in INSTALL_ENVIRONMENT.md; do not reinstall the Android SDK when Gradle is the only missing check.
  • If android_preflight reports no AVDs but a USB device is ready, continue by passing that device serial to target tools.
  • If Gradle cannot find the Android SDK, create local.properties in the Android Gradle root with sdk.dir=<Android SDK path>.
  • If ./gradlew or gradlew.bat is missing, install Gradle and run gradle wrapper --gradle-version 8.9, or let android_build_app attempt wrapper generation when gradle is available.
  • If sdkmanager or avdmanager cannot find Java after installing Homebrew openjdk@<configured JDK major>, export the matching JAVA_HOME from INSTALL_ENVIRONMENT.md and retry. Use the optional symlink step only after user confirmation.
  • On Windows, if SDK package installation fails because Android SDK licenses are not accepted, ask the user for explicit approval before running sdkmanager.bat --licenses, then retry the same package installation command.
  • On Windows, if emulator acceleration is unavailable, ask the user to enable virtualization/WHPX or finish Android Emulator driver setup in Android Studio Device Manager, then rerun android_preflight.
  • If system image downloads time out, prefer the default image first and retry the exact sdkmanager --install command with a longer timeout before switching to larger google_apis images.

Extension Point

The Android backend is deliberately isolated. P0 uses Android SDK tools, ADB/UI Automator, and Gradle. Future backends can map the same public operations to Android Studio semantic tools, a UI Automator helper APK, Appium/uiautomator2, or another automation bridge without changing the skill workflow.

© zai-org, Apache-2.0. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file

Files

SKILL.md and 1 other file in apps/zcode-cli/packages/android-emulator-plugin/skills/android-dev of zai-org/ZCode.

  • SKILL.md
  • INSTALL_ENVIRONMENT.md

Open the folder on GitHubat commit aac4755

Compare with similar skills

Android Dev 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 Dev compared with similar skills
SkillStarsUsed inTokensAuto-checkLicenceRepo updated
Android Dev this skillzai-org/ZCode7.7k—~1.7kAutomated safety check: PassApache-2.0
Android Developmentdpconde/claude-android-skill336—~1.7kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Scrcpy GotchasJuanCF/scrcpy-mcp116—~5.8kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Spock AdbWahdanZ/SpockAdb116—~3.8kAutomated safety check: PassApache-2.0
MCP SDK Tier Auditmodelcontextprotocol/conformance130—~4.4kAutomated safety check: PassCustom licence
Healthmd CLI QACodyBontecou/health-md230—~4kAutomated safety check: PassAGPL-3.0

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Works with

Categories

Questions about Android Dev

What does Android Dev do?

Build, run, inspect, and lightly automate Android apps with the android-emulator MCP tools. Android Dev is an agent skill from zai-org/ZCode. Build, run, inspect, and lightly automate Android apps with the android-emulator MCP tools.

When should I use Android Dev?

Android Dev fits situations like: tasks that involve Android development; tasks that involve MCP servers.

How do I install Android Dev in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add zai-org/ZCode --skill android-dev -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (apps/zcode-cli/packages/android-emulator-plugin/skills/android-dev in zai-org/ZCode) into .claude/skills/android-dev in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Android Dev in Codex?

Run `npx skills add zai-org/ZCode --skill android-dev -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (apps/zcode-cli/packages/android-emulator-plugin/skills/android-dev in zai-org/ZCode) into .agents/skills/android-dev in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Android Dev 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 zai-org/ZCode --skill android-dev -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-dev, .gemini/skills/android-dev, .github/skills/android-dev and .opencode/skills/android-dev in your project.

What does Android Dev need to run?

Going by SKILL.md and its folder, Android Dev needs the command-line tools its instructions call (gradle).

Does Android Dev 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 Dev 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 Dev use?

Android Dev is published under the Apache-2.0 licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does Android Dev use?

About 1.7k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 6.9k 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 Dev?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Android Dev: Android Development (dpconde/claude-android-skill, 336 stars), Scrcpy Gotchas (JuanCF/scrcpy-mcp, 116 stars), Spock Adb (WahdanZ/SpockAdb, 116 stars) and MCP SDK Tier Audit (modelcontextprotocol/conformance, 130 stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Android Dev?

zai-org (a GitHub organization) maintains it in zai-org/ZCode, which has 7,659 GitHub stars. The repository holds 5 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 10, 2026.

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