Imported from kengerlwl/phoneMcp (SKILL.md). Install upstream with npx skills add kengerlwl/phoneMcp. Copyright stays with the author.

Android Phone Automation with PhoneMCP

Control Android devices via ADB through a single CLI executable. No MCP server needed.

Prerequisites: Android device connected via USB or WiFi with USB debugging enabled.

Binary Path

The phone-mcp binary is in the same directory as this SKILL.md file. Determine the absolute path of this SKILL.md's parent directory and use it as the binary path. For example, if this file is at ~/.catpaw/skills/phone-mcp/SKILL.md, then the binary is ~/.catpaw/skills/phone-mcp/phone-mcp.

On Windows, the binary is phone-mcp.exe in the same directory.

Step 0: Always Check Device First

Before any phone operation, verify a device is connected:

<BIN> run '{"action":"list_devices"}'

If "count": 0, tell the user to connect their Android phone via USB and enable USB debugging. Do not proceed without a connected device.

Core Workflow

Every phone automation follows this loop:

1. Observe: get_ui_elements to see what's on screen (structured text data)
2. Act: tap_element, type_text, swipe, etc.
3. Re-observe: After any action that changes the screen, call get_ui_elements again

# 1. Observe — see what's on screen
<BIN> run '{"action":"get_ui_elements"}'
# Output: list of elements with index, text, bounds, clickable status

# 2. Act — tap an element by its text
<BIN> run '{"action":"tap_element","text":"微信"}'

# 3. Re-observe — screen changed, get fresh elements
<BIN> run '{"action":"get_ui_elements"}'

When to use screenshot vs get_ui_elements

Prefer get_ui_elements for decision-making. Use screenshot for visual verification or when you need spatial context.

Batch Execution

Pass a JSON array for sequential commands. Stops on first failure.

<BIN> run '[{"action":"launch_app","name":"微信"},{"action":"wait","seconds":2},{"action":"get_ui_elements"}]'

Batch when you don't need intermediate output: launch_app + wait, tap + wait, type_text + key. Don't batch get_ui_elements or screenshot — you need their output to decide the next step.

Command Reference

Device Management

<BIN> run '{"action":"list_devices"}'
<BIN> run '{"action":"connect","address":"192.168.1.100:5555"}'
<BIN> run '{"action":"disconnect"}'

Observe Screen

# Structured element list (preferred for interaction)
<BIN> run '{"action":"get_ui_elements"}'
<BIN> run '{"action":"get_ui_elements","clickable_only":true}'
<BIN> run '{"action":"get_ui_elements","mode":"ocr"}'     # For WebView/games/Flutter

# Visual screenshot (saved to file, returns path)
<BIN> run '{"action":"screenshot"}'
<BIN> run '{"action":"screenshot","path":"/tmp/my-screenshot.jpg"}'

Interact with Elements (⭐ Preferred)

<BIN> run '{"action":"tap_element","index":5}'              # By index from get_ui_elements
<BIN> run '{"action":"tap_element","text":"发送"}'           # By visible text (fuzzy match)
<BIN> run '{"action":"tap_element","resource_id":"send_btn"}' # By resource ID

Coordinate-Based Actions

<BIN> run '{"action":"tap","x":540,"y":1200}'
<BIN> run '{"action":"double_tap","x":540,"y":1200}'
<BIN> run '{"action":"swipe","start_x":540,"start_y":1800,"end_x":540,"end_y":600}'  # Scroll down
<BIN> run '{"action":"swipe","start_x":540,"start_y":600,"end_x":540,"end_y":1800}'  # Scroll up

Text Input

<BIN> run '{"action":"type_text","text":"Hello 你好"}'            # Type (clears input first by default)
<BIN> run '{"action":"type_text","text":"追加文本","clear_first":false}'  # Append without clearing
<BIN> run '{"action":"clear_text"}'

System Keys

<BIN> run '{"action":"back"}'
<BIN> run '{"action":"home"}'
<BIN> run '{"action":"key","key":"enter"}'
<BIN> run '{"action":"key","key":"volume_up"}'

Key names: enter, delete, tab, space, volume_up, volume_down, power, camera, media_play_pause, media_next, media_previous, dpad_up, dpad_down, dpad_left, dpad_right.

App Control

<BIN> run '{"action":"launch_app","name":"微信"}'            # By common name
<BIN> run '{"action":"launch_app","package":"com.tencent.mm"}'  # By package name
<BIN> run '{"action":"current_app"}'
<BIN> run '{"action":"search_apps","keyword":"tencent"}'     # Find package names

Wait

<BIN> run '{"action":"wait","seconds":2}'

UI Element Detection Modes

Multi-Device

All commands accept optional "device_id" parameter:

<BIN> run '{"action":"list_devices"}'
# → {"devices":[{"device_id":"R5CR1234","model":"SM-S9080"},...]}

<BIN> run '{"action":"screenshot","device_id":"R5CR1234"}'

Error Handling

All responses are JSON with "status": "success" or "status": "error".

Key Rules

1. Always get_ui_elements before interacting — never guess coordinates or element names.
2. Always re-observe after screen changes — tap, swipe, navigation all invalidate previous elements.
3. Prefer tap_element over tap — text/index-based tapping is more reliable than coordinates.
4. Add wait after launching apps — apps need 1-3 seconds to load.
5. Don't hardcode UI flows — different phones have different UI. Always read get_ui_elements output and adapt.