argent-android-emulator-setup: a skill that boots and connects an Android emulator

argent-android-emulator-setup makes your agent find or boot an Android emulator and get its serial, so it can then tap, swipe and take screenshots.

Installs: 28.2K; on skills.sh
Stars: 3.1K; on GitHub
Updated: Oct 2026; last repo commit

The skill tells the agent to check for a ready Android device with the Argent list-devices tool, and to boot an emulator with boot-device if none is running. It then picks a serial such as emulator-5554 and, for React Native, runs adb reverse tcp:8081 tcp:8081 so the device can reach Metro.

It triggers when you start an Android session, boot an emulator, need a device serial, or before any UI task. It needs adb, the Android Emulator and an AVD on your machine, plus the Argent tools. The install box sets up both.

Good for

React Native and Android developers who let an agent drive an emulator
Anyone running the Argent tools who needs a device ready before UI tasks
Teams automating app checks on emulators

Install argent-android-emulator-setup

Claude Code

Copy this prompt.

Install the argent-android-emulator-setup skill in Claude Code. Run this command:

npx @swmansion/argent@latest init

Then check that it loaded and tell me how to use it.

2
Paste it into Claude Code. It shows the change and asks before running it.

Requires Node.js.

This runs the Argent installer. It sets up the Argent tools (an MCP server) that these skills call, plus the Argent skills, in the editors you pick. Skills copied on their own with the skills CLI have no tools to call. The installer offers to add Argent tools to your editor's auto-approve list. The default Automatic skills option installs all Argent skills, not only this one. Telemetry is on by default and argent telemetry disable turns it off.

From the project README. Source.

What's in the skill

When it loads

Set up and connect to an Android emulator using argent MCP tools. Use when starting a new session on Android, booting an emulator, getting a device serial, or before any UI interaction task.

Sections in SKILL.md

1. Prerequisites
2. Setup
3. Using the device
4. Notes

Key facts

Author: Software Mansion (Argent)
Repo: software-mansion/argent, path packages/skills/skills/argent-android-emulator-setup
Installs on skills.sh: 28,177 (as of Nov 2, 2026)
GitHub stars: 3,138 (shared repo, Nov 2, 2026)
License: Apache-2.0 for source code; some bundled binaries are proprietary
Last repo commit: Oct 31, 2026
Files: 1 file: SKILL.md (no bundled scripts)
Needs: The Argent tools (MCP server), set up by the installer in the box above

What it includes

Needs adb, the Android Emulator on PATH and an AVD
Verify with `adb version` and `emulator -list-avds`. With only a running emulator or a physical device, adb alone is enough.
Runs code · Prerequisites
Finds Android devices and picks the first ready serial
Looks for entries with platform android and state device. Uses the serial you name if you gave one.
Read · list-devices
Boots an AVD when nothing is ready
Takes an avdName. It picks a hot or cold boot itself: about 30s hot, 2 to 10 minutes cold. On failure it kills the emulator it started.
Runs code · boot-device
Lets the device reach Metro on your host
Runs `adb -s <serial> reverse tcp:8081 tcp:8081` for React Native. Repeat if the device restarts.
Runs code · adb reverse
Pass the serial as udid to the interaction tools
Works with gesture-tap, gesture-swipe, describe, screenshot, launch-app and keyboard. Points to argent-device-interact for details.
Use the device
TV AVDs, shallower describe tree, clean shutdown
Android TV AVDs are focus-driven, so the skill says not to tap or swipe them. Stop an emulator with `adb -s <serial> emu kill`, never `kill -9`.
Runs code · Notes

From the official docs

Permissions

Medium risk

It starts emulators and runs adb commands on your machine through the Argent tools. A hard kill of the emulator can corrupt its data, and the recovery step wipes it.

What it can do

Read your data
Create and change things
Delete things
Read-only mode

Watch out for

It starts and stops emulators on your machine
The skill calls boot-device and runs adb commands. It says to stop an emulator with `adb emu kill` and never `kill -9` on qemu. github.com
Recovery can wipe the emulator's data
If a hard kill leaves the image dirty, SKILL.md says to boot once with `-wipe-data`. That resets the emulator, so only do it on a throwaway AVD. github.com
Installer can auto-approve Argent tools
`argent init` asks whether to add Argent tools to your editor's auto-approve list and its prompt defaults to yes. Say no if you want a confirmation on every tool call. github.com
reinstall-app grants all runtime permissions
SKILL.md says reinstall-app on Android always installs with -g, so first-launch permissions are granted without a prompt. github.com
Argent telemetry is on by default
The README says telemetry is opt-out. Run `argent telemetry disable` to turn it off; the privacy notice says it collects no source code, file paths or tool inputs, and records a hashed installation identifier derived from a device identifier, never the raw one. github.com

Technical details

Talks to	Argent telemetry (on by default)
Sign-in and keys	The skill text does not use an account or API key.

Questions

What does argent-android-emulator-setup do?

It makes your agent find a ready Android device, boot an emulator if none is running, and note its serial. For React Native it also runs the adb command that lets the device reach Metro.

How do I install it in Claude Code?

Use the install box above. It runs the Argent installer, which sets up the Argent tools and skills together. The skill alone is not enough because it calls tools such as list-devices and boot-device.

What do I need on my machine?

SKILL.md lists Android SDK Platform Tools (adb), the Android Emulator on PATH, and an AVD made in Android Studio or with avdmanager. Check with adb version and emulator -list-avds.

Does it work on a physical phone?

The prerequisites say adb alone is enough if you only use a running emulator or a physical device. The boot step is for emulators.

How long does the emulator take to boot?

SKILL.md says about 30 seconds on the hot path and 2 to 10 minutes on a cold boot. The tool picks the path from the AVD's saved snapshot.

How do I stop the emulator safely?

Run adb -s <serial> emu kill from a shell. SKILL.md warns never to use pkill -9 or kill -9 on qemu, because it can leave the image dirty and make later boots hang.

Is it safe to run?

It starts emulators and runs adb commands on your machine, so use a throwaway AVD if you care about its data. SKILL.md bundles no scripts. The installer can also add Argent tools to your editor's auto-approve list, which you can decline.

Is there an iOS version?

Yes, argent-ios-simulator-setup is the iOS counterpart. This skill points to argent-device-interact for the platform-neutral tap and screenshot tools.

Information

updated Nov 2, 2026

Repository: software-mansion/argent
Folder: packages/skills/skills/argent-android-emulator-setup

software-mansion/argent skills.sh

Sources

Docs, issue trackers and discussions this page is built from.

Show all 5

SKILL.md · github.com
Argent README · github.com
Argent installer: editor adapters · github.com
Argent installer: auto-approve step · github.com
init-skills.ts · github.com