/android-automation

name: android-device-automation
description: >
  Vision-driven Android device automation using Midscene.
  Operates entirely from screenshots — no DOM or accessibility labels required. Can interact with all visible elements on screen regardless of technology stack.
  Control Android devices with natural language commands via ADB.
  Perform taps, swipes, text input, app launches, screenshots, and more.
  
  Trigger keywords: android, phone, mobile app, tap, swipe, install app, open app on phone, android device, mobile automation, adb, launch app, mobile screen,
  test android app, verify mobile app, QA on phone, check the app on android, test on device,
  see if the app works on phone, end-to-end test on android, visual verification on mobile

  Powered by Midscene.js (https://midscenejs.com)
allowed-tools:
  - Bash

Android Device Automation

> **CRITICAL RULES — VIOLATIONS WILL BREAK THE WORKFLOW:** > > 1. **Never run midscene commands in the background.** Each command must run synchronously so you can read its output (especially screenshots) before deciding the next action. Background execution breaks the screenshot-analyze-act loop. > 2. **Run only one midscene command at a time.** Wait for the previous command to finish, read the screenshot, then decide the next action. Never chain multiple commands together. > 3. **Allow enough time for each command to complete.** Midscene commands involve AI inference and screen interaction, which can take longer than typical shell commands. A typical command needs about 1 minute; complex `act` commands may need even longer. > 4. **Always report task results before finishing.** After completing the automation task, you MUST proactively summarize the results to the user — including key data found, actions completed, screenshots taken, and any relevant findings. Never silently end after the last automation step; the user expects a complete response in a single interaction.

Automate Android devices using `npx -y @midscene/android@1`. Each CLI command maps directly to an MCP tool — you (the AI agent) act as the brain, deciding which actions to take based on screenshots.

What `act` Can Do

Inside a single `act` call on Android, Midscene can tap, double-tap, long-press, type, clear text, scroll or swipe in any direction, pull to refresh, drag items, zoom with two fingers, press keys, and use system navigation such as Back, Home, or recent apps while working from the current visible screen.

Prerequisites

Midscene requires models with strong visual grounding capabilities. The following environment variables must be configured — either as system environment variables or in a `.env` file in the current working directory (Midscene loads `.env` automatically):

MIDSCENE_MODEL_API_KEY="your-api-key"
MIDSCENE_MODEL_NAME="model-name"
MIDSCENE_MODEL_BASE_URL="https://..."
MIDSCENE_MODEL_FAMILY="family-identifier"

Example: Gemini (Gemini-3-Flash)

MIDSCENE_MODEL_API_KEY="your-google-api-key"
MIDSCENE_MODEL_NAME="gemini-3-flash"
MIDSCENE_MODEL_BASE_URL="https://generativelanguage.googleapis.com/v1beta/openai/"
MIDSCENE_MODEL_FAMILY="gemini"

Example: Qwen 3.5

MIDSCENE_MODEL_API_KEY="your-aliyun-api-key"
MIDSCENE_MODEL_NAME="qwen3.5-plus"
MIDSCENE_MODEL_BASE_URL="https://dashscope.aliyuncs.com/compatible-mode/v1"
MIDSCENE_MODEL_FAMILY="qwen3.5"
MIDSCENE_MODEL_REASONING_ENABLED="false"
# If using OpenRouter, set:
# MIDSCENE_MODEL_API_KEY="your-openrouter-api-key"
# MIDSCENE_MODEL_NAME="qwen/qwen3.5-plus"
# MIDSCENE_MODEL_BASE_URL="https://openrouter.ai/api/v1"

Example: Doubao Seed 2.0 Lite

MIDSCENE_MODEL_API_KEY="your-doubao-api-key"
MIDSCENE_MODEL_NAME="doubao-seed-2-0-lite"
MIDSCENE_MODEL_BASE_URL="https://ark.cn-beijing.volces.com/api/v3"
MIDSCENE_MODEL_FAMILY="doubao-seed"

Commonly used models: Doubao Seed 2.0 Lite, Qwen 3.5, Zhipu GLM-4.6V, Gemini-3-Pro, Gemini-3-Flash.

If the model is not configured, ask the user to set it up. See [Model Configuration](https://midscenejs.com/model-common-config) for supported providers.

Commands

Common Android CLI Flags

Use these flags on commands that create or use the Android agent, such as `connect`, `take_screenshot`, `act`, `assert`, and `tap`:

• `--device-id <id>`: Target a specific Android device from `adb devices`.
• `--use-scrcpy`: Enable scrcpy accelerated screenshots. Use this when normal screenshot capture is slow or unstable. Because CLI invocations are stateless, pass this flag on each Android Midscene command where you want scrcpy-based screenshots.

Connect to Device

npx -y @midscene/android@1 connect
npx -y @midscene/android@1 connect --device-id emulator-5554
npx -y @midscene/android@1 connect --device-id emulator-5554 --use-scrcpy

Launch an App or URL

Use the dedicated launch step when you want a deterministic starting point before the rest of the task:

npx -y @midscene/android@1 launch --uri https://www.ebay.com
npx -y @midscene/android@1 launch --uri com.android.settings
npx -y @midscene/android@1 launch --uri com.android.settings/.Settings

Run a Raw Android Shell Command

Use this when the task needs lower-level device control that is not best expressed as a visible UI interaction:

npx -y @midscene/android@1 runadbshell --command "dumpsys battery"

This is forwarded to `adb shell` on the connected device. In practice, the underlying command is `adb -s <deviceId> shell dumpsys battery` and some environments may also include the default ADB server port, such as `adb -P 5037 -s <deviceId> shell dumpsys battery`.

Take Screenshot

npx -y @midscene/android@1 take_screenshot
npx -y @midscene/android@1 take_screenshot --device-id emulator-5554 --use-scrcpy

After taking a screenshot, read the saved image file to understand the current screen state before deciding the next action.

Perform Action

Use `act` to interact with the device and get the result. It a