Overview of Android CLI

Android CLI is a command-line interface that lets you build for Android more efficiently using any tool of your choice. It standardizes core development competencies for agent-first workflows, providing an entry point to the official tools, skills, and knowledge you need to develop more effectively. It can also streamline CI, maintenance, and any other scripted automation for the increasingly distributed nature of Android development.

For example, an agent or script can use the CLI to do tasks such as the following:

  • Automate environment and Android SDK setup
  • Scaffold new projects from templates
  • Manage virtual devices, install APKs, and inspect live device screens and UI hierarchies directly from your terminal
  • Connect to running Android Studio instances for semantic code analysis, Compose preview rendering, and dependency version lookups
  • Test your app with Journeys

Android CLI also gives your agents access to Android skills and the specialized Android Knowledge Base to help ensure that your projects apply Android-recommended patterns and best practices.

For a complete description of Android CLI commands and options, see the Android CLI command reference.

Install Android CLI

To install Android CLI, follow these steps:

  1. Download Android CLI.

  2. To make sure you're using the latest version, update Android CLI:

    android update

To check if Android CLI is already installed on your machine, run which android or command -v android: if it returns a path, then it's installed.

Set up for agents

To help agents understand and use Android CLI, run android init to install the android-cli skill.

Data collected

Android CLI collects data on basic usage of the tool. Here's the data that we collect:

  • Invocations of the android command and sub-commands, for example android run and android create.
  • Names of non-positional arguments or options used, for example --sdk or --version.
  • Positional arguments and flag values that map to a fixed, predefined set of system options managed by Android CLI. For example, we collect emulator template names such as medium_phone and large_desktop, and agent names such as GEMINI, CLAUDE, or CODEX.
  • Stack traces and exception messages, where identifying information is anonymized before collection to help ensure privacy.

Here are some examples of data that we don't collect:

  • We don't collect responses of the CLI when a command is run.
  • We don't collect user-created inputs or external identifiers passed to the CLI, such as specific Maven coordinates, local file paths, or custom project names. For example, if the command android create --name=com.company.internal.app is executed, we record that android create was executed using the --name argument but we don't store the value com.company.internal.app.

To disable data collection, use the --no-metrics flag when running a command with Android CLI.

Feedback and issues

If you encounter any issues or want to provide feedback, report a bug.

Known issues

  • The android emulator command for Windows is currently disabled.
  • Downloading Android CLI from Windows PowerShell isn't currently supported.

Configure Android CLI

Create a .androidrc file to automatically apply flags and options every time you invoke Android CLI. Save the file in the following location, depending on your operating system:

  • macOS and Linux: ~/.androidrc
  • Windows: %USERPROFILE%\.androidrc

Add the flags you want to apply automatically to the file, one per line.

For example, to make Android CLI use a specific Android SDK by default every time, add the --sdk flag to your file:

--sdk=<path-to-sdk>

Global options

These are optional flags that you can use with other Android CLI commands.

-h, --help

Usage: android <command> -h

Description: Display the help manual for the tool or specific command in question.

Examples:

  • android -h
  • android create -h

--sdk

Usage: android --sdk=<path-to-sdk> <command>

Description: The path to the Android SDK that you want to use for the command that follows. You can use the --sdk setting to temporarily override the default Android SDK instead of changing your global environment variables every time you want to switch. To check which Android SDK you're using by default, run android info.

Example: android --sdk=<path/to/sdk> sdk list

-v, --verbose

Usage: android -v <command>

Description: Enable verbose output. Specify multiple -v options to increase verbosity (for example, -v, -vv, or -vvv).

-V, --version

Usage: android -V

Description: Print version information and exit.

Commands

For a complete description of Android CLI commands and options, see the Android CLI command reference.