Tool Reference¶

Every tool the server exposes, grouped by area. Select a tool name for its full parameters, response format, error behavior, and a worked example.

Tools marked Destructive can permanently remove data or interrupt the device. They are hidden from clients unless the server is started with ADB_AUTOMATION_ALLOW_DESTRUCTIVE=1 (see Configuration).

Devices & Connection¶

Find devices, manage the adb connection, forward ports, and control power.

Device Info ¶

Tool	What it does
`list_connected_devices`	List currently connected adb devices, as reported by `adb devices -l`.

Connection ¶

Tool	What it does
`restart_adb_server`	Restart the local adb server.
`connect_device`	Connect to a device over TCP/IP.
`disconnect_device`	Disconnect a device connected over TCP/IP.
`restart_adbd_as_root`	Restart the on-device `adbd` daemon as root. Destructive
`restart_adbd_as_shell`	Restart the on-device `adbd` daemon as non-root (shell).
`wait_for_device_state`	Block until a device reaches a given adb transport state.

Diagnostics ¶

Tool	What it does
`check_adb_available`	Check whether the adb binary is reachable and able to list connected devices.
`get_adb_version`	Report the version of the adb client this server is driving.
`generate_bugreport`	Generate a full Android bugreport and save it to the host.

Port Forwarding ¶

Tool	What it does
`create_forward`	Forward a host TCP port to a device TCP port.
`list_forwards`	List active host→device forwards.
`remove_forward`	Remove one host→device forward.
`create_reverse`	Reverse-forward a device TCP port to a host TCP port.
`list_reverses`	List active device→host reverses for one device.
`remove_reverse`	Remove one device→host reverse.

Power ¶

Tool	What it does
`get_power_state`	Get the device's current high-level power state.
`reboot_device`	Reboot a device into its normal system image. Destructive
`wake_device`	Wake a sleeping device's screen.

Date & Time ¶

Tool	What it does
`get_date_time`	Get the device's current system date/time.

Apps¶

Install and inspect apps, launch components, manage permissions and processes, and run tests.

Packages ¶

Tool	What it does
`list_packages`	List installed Android packages on a device.
`install_apk`	Install an APK on a connected device.
`uninstall_package`	Uninstall a package on a connected device. Destructive
`install_existing_for_user`	Make an already-installed package available to another Android user.
`get_package_path`	Resolve an installed package's on-device APK paths.
`get_package_info`	Curated snapshot of an installed package.
`set_package_enabled_state`	Enable or disable an app, or one of its components.

Activities ¶

Tool	What it does
`start_activity`	Launch an Android activity on a device.
`resolve_activity`	Resolve which Activity would handle an Intent, without launching it.
`get_foreground_activity`	Report the currently resumed/top Activity.

Services ¶

Tool	What it does
`start_service`	Start an Android service on a device.
`start_foreground_service`	Start an Android foreground service.
`stop_service`	Stop a started Android service.
`get_service_status`	Status snapshot for one Android Service.

Broadcasts ¶

Tool	What it does
`send_broadcast`	Send an Android intent broadcast to a device.

Permissions ¶

Tool	What it does
`grant_permission`	Grant one Android runtime permission to a package.
`revoke_permission`	Revoke one Android runtime permission from a package.
`get_package_permissions`	A package's full permission picture.

App Data ¶

Tool	What it does
`clear_app_data`	Wipe a package's full application data on a device. Destructive
`clear_app_cache`	Clear only a package's cache, leaving its data intact.

Processes ¶

Tool	What it does
`force_stop_app`	Force-stop an Android package on a device.
`kill_background_processes`	Kill a package's killable background processes.
`list_processes`	List running processes on a device.
`get_process_id`	Resolve a process/package name to its PIDs.
`get_process_memory`	Read a curated memory snapshot for a process.

Content Providers ¶

Tool	What it does
`query_content`	Query a ContentProvider and return its rows.

Instrumentation Tests ¶

Tool	What it does
`run_instrumentation`	Run an instrumentation test runner.

Screen & Interaction¶

See what's on screen and drive the UI.

Screenshots & Recording ¶

Tool	What it does
`take_screenshot`	Capture the device's screen as a PNG, save it to the host, return the path.
`record_screen`	Record the device screen to an MP4, save it to the host, return the path.

Input ¶

Tool	What it does
`tap`	Inject a single touch/tap event on a device.
`swipe`	Inject a swipe gesture between two points.
`input_text`	Type literal text into the focused input field.
`press_key`	Inject one Android key event.

UI Inspection ¶

Tool	What it does
`dump_ui_hierarchy`	Retrieve the device's current UI hierarchy.
`find_ui_elements`	Search the current UI hierarchy for nodes matching structured criteria.
`wait_for_ui_element`	Poll the UI hierarchy until an element appears or disappears.

Displays ¶

Tool	What it does
`list_displays`	Enumerate a device's logical displays.
`get_display_size`	Get a display's pixel dimensions.
`get_display_density`	Get a display's density in dpi.

Device Configuration¶

Read and change device settings, system properties, users, and network state.

Settings ¶

Tool	What it does
`get_setting`	Read one Android Settings-provider value.
`set_setting`	Write one Android Settings-provider value.

System Properties ¶

Tool	What it does
`get_property`	Get the value of one Android system property.
`list_properties`	List Android system properties as structured data.
`get_property_metadata`	Get metadata for one Android system property.
`set_property`	Set an ordinary mutable Android system property.

Users ¶

Tool	What it does
`get_current_user`	Get the current Android user on a device.
`dump_user`	Dump detailed Android user info for a device.
`user_info`	Get detailed info for one Android user.
`list_users`	List every Android user on a device.
`switch_user`	Switch the active Android user on a device.
`create_user`	Create a full secondary Android user on a device.
`remove_user`	Delete an Android user/profile from a device. Destructive
`get_user_capabilities`	Get device-wide Android multi-user capabilities: what the platform build supports, not info about any one particular user.
`start_user`	Start a stopped Android user in the background.
`is_user_stopped`	Check whether an Android user is stopped.
`get_user_state`	Get a started user's lifecycle state.

Network ¶

Tool	What it does
`list_network_interfaces`	List the device's network interfaces and their addresses.
`get_routes`	List the device's kernel routing table.
`get_connectivity_state`	Curated connectivity snapshot.

Files¶

Move files between the device and your machine.

Files ¶

Tool	What it does
`pull_file`	Copy one file from a device to this server's host.
`push_file`	Copy one file from this server's host to a device.

Logs & Debugging¶

Read logs, investigate crashes and ANRs, and attach debuggers.

Logs (logcat)¶

Tool	What it does
`read_logs`	Dump recent device logs.
`clear_logs`	Clear a device's log buffer.
`get_log_buffer_size`	Report a log buffer's ring size and usage.
`read_package_logs`	Dump recent logs for one package.
`start_log_session`	Start a log-capture session: anchors on the device's current log position, to be replayed later by stop_log_session.
`stop_log_session`	Stop a log-capture session and write everything logged since start_log_session to a file on the host running this server.

ANR Reports ¶

Tool	What it does
`get_anr_reports`	Get a package's ANR reports from the device's DropBox.

Debugging ¶

Tool	What it does
`get_process_exit_history`	Get a package's recent process-exit records.
`set_debug_app`	Mark an app as ActivityManager's debug app.
`clear_debug_app`	Clear ActivityManager's configured debug app.
`list_jdwp_processes`	List processes exposing a JDWP transport.
`capture_native_backtrace`	Capture native thread backtraces for a running process.
`capture_native_tombstone`	Request a full native tombstone for a process and save it to the host.

Performance¶

Measure memory, rendering, CPU, and IPC behavior.

Memory ¶

Tool	What it does
`get_app_memory_summary`	Compact memory snapshot for one app/process.
`get_app_memory_details`	Detailed memory breakdown for one app.
`get_system_memory_summary`	System-wide memory totals and top consumers.
`get_memory_history`	Historical memory bands for a package.
`capture_heap_dump`	Capture a heap dump and save it to the host.
`set_heap_watch`	Auto-collect a heap dump when a process gets large.
`clear_heap_watch`	Clear a previously configured heap watch.
`get_memory_maps`	Get a process's memory-map aggregates.

Graphics & Frame Stats ¶

Tool	What it does
`get_frame_stats`	Get an app's rendering / jank statistics.
`reset_frame_stats`	Reset an app's graphics frame statistics.

Method Profiling ¶

Tool	What it does
`start_method_profile`	Start Android method profiling for a process.
`stop_method_profile`	Stop method profiling and save the trace to the host.

System Tracing ¶

Tool	What it does
`capture_system_trace`	Capture a bounded Perfetto system trace.
`start_ipc_trace`	Start ActivityManager Binder/IPC transaction tracing.
`stop_ipc_trace`	Stop IPC tracing, dump it, and save it to the host.

Binder IPC ¶

Tool	What it does
`get_binder_call_stats`	Get Binder IPC call statistics.
`reset_binder_call_stats`	Reset Binder IPC call statistics.