| name | emumanager |
| description | Manages Android SDK, emulators, and AVDs. Use when bootstrapping Android SDK, creating/starting/stopping AVDs, downloading system images, or troubleshooting emulator issues. Supports mobile, Wear OS, TV, and Automotive devices. Covers sdkmanager, avdmanager, emulator CLI. Triggers: android emulator, android virtual device, avd, system image, wear os emulator, tv emulator, automotive emulator, bootstrap android sdk.
|
| compatibility | Requires Java 17+, curl, and unzip. Hardware acceleration (KVM on Linux, HVF on macOS) required for emulators. Needs network access for downloading SDK components. Designed for filesystem-based agents with bash access. |
Android Emulator Manager
Important: Use Script First
ALWAYS use scripts/emumanager over raw sdkmanager, avdmanager, or
emulator commands. The script is located in the scripts/ subdirectory of
this skill's folder. References to scripts/... in this skill are relative to
this skill directory. It provides features that raw commands do not:
- Automatic system image selection for device types (--mobile, --wear, --tv)
- Boot completion detection with timeout
- Sensible defaults and helpful error messages
- Diagnostics via
doctor subcommand
When to read the script source: If the script doesn't do exactly what you
need, or fails due to missing dependencies, read the script source. It encodes
solutions to SDK quirks and boot detection edge cases—use it as reference when
building similar functionality.
Quick Start
Environment Variables
export ANDROID_HOME="${ANDROID_HOME:-$HOME/.local/share/android-sdk}"
export ANDROID_USER_HOME="${ANDROID_USER_HOME:-$HOME/.android}"
Prerequisites
- Java 17 or higher
- Hardware acceleration: KVM on Linux, HVF (Hypervisor Framework) on macOS
- Network access for downloading SDK components
Highest-Value Commands
scripts/emumanager bootstrap
scripts/emumanager doctor
scripts/emumanager create avd my_phone --mobile
scripts/emumanager start avd my_phone
scripts/emumanager list avd
scripts/emumanager info avd my_phone
Subcommand Overview
bootstrap
Set up SDK environment. Installs cmdline-tools, platform-tools, build-tools,
emulator, and a platform.
scripts/emumanager bootstrap
scripts/emumanager bootstrap --no-emulator
doctor
Run diagnostics to check for common issues: Java version, hardware acceleration,
SDK tools, disk space, orphaned AVD files.
scripts/emumanager doctor
list
List local resources (AVDs or installed SDK packages).
scripts/emumanager list avd
scripts/emumanager list avd --names-only
scripts/emumanager list avd --running-only
scripts/emumanager list avd --stopped-only
scripts/emumanager list package
scripts/emumanager list package --outdated
info
Show detailed information about an AVD.
scripts/emumanager info avd my_phone
create
Create a new AVD.
scripts/emumanager create avd my_phone --mobile
scripts/emumanager create avd my_watch --wear
scripts/emumanager create avd my_tv --tv
scripts/emumanager create avd my_car --auto
scripts/emumanager create avd my_avd "system-images;android-36;google_apis_playstore;arm64-v8a"
start
Start an AVD. Waits for boot to complete.
scripts/emumanager start avd my_phone
scripts/emumanager start avd my_phone --cold-boot
scripts/emumanager start avd my_phone --wipe-data
stop
Stop a running AVD.
scripts/emumanager stop avd my_phone
delete
Delete an AVD and clean up files. Stops the AVD first if running.
scripts/emumanager delete avd my_phone
download
Download a specific system image or SDK package.
scripts/emumanager download package "system-images;android-36;google_apis_playstore;arm64-v8a"
catalog
List obtainable packages (system images) from the remote registry. Installed
packages are marked with *.
scripts/emumanager catalog package
update
Update all installed SDK packages to latest versions.
scripts/emumanager update package
Device Types
The create command supports device type flags that automatically select the
latest appropriate system image for the host architecture:
| Flag | Device Type | System Image Pattern |
|---|
--mobile/--phone | Mobile/Phone | google_apis_playstore |
--wear/--watch | Wear OS | android-wear / android-wear-signed |
--tv | Android/Google TV | android-tv / google-tv |
--auto | Automotive | android-automotive-playstore |
If no device type or image is specified, defaults to mobile/phone.
Start Mode Options
| Mode | Flag | Description |
|---|
| Quick Boot | (default) | Fast startup using snapshots |
| Cold Boot | --cold-boot | Bypass Quick Boot, perform full boot |
| Factory Reset | --wipe-data | Wipe all data and cold boot |
Common Workflows
First-Time Setup
scripts/emumanager bootstrap
scripts/emumanager doctor
Creating and Running a Phone Emulator
scripts/emumanager create avd my_phone --mobile
scripts/emumanager start avd my_phone
Creating a Wear OS Emulator
scripts/emumanager create avd my_watch --wear
scripts/emumanager start avd my_watch
Factory Resetting an AVD
scripts/emumanager start avd my_phone --wipe-data
Checking for SDK Updates
scripts/emumanager list package --outdated
scripts/emumanager update package
Safety Notes
- Script requires Java 17+ to run SDK tools
- Hardware acceleration (KVM/HVF) is required for x86_64/arm64 emulators
- System image downloads can be several GB
- Some operations require network access
- The script avoids destructive actions unless explicitly requested
- Use
ANDROID_SERIAL environment variable when multiple emulators are running
Reference Documentation
references/command-index.md - Detailed subcommand referencereferences/troubleshooting.md - Common issues and solutions
