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take_android_screenshot

Capture screenshots from Android devices and emulators for UI analysis and testing purposes. Supports PNG format output and works with connected Android devices.

Instructions

Capture a screenshot from an Android device or emulator

Input Schema

TableJSON Schema
NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
deviceIdNoThe ID of the Android device to capture a screenshot from. If not provided, uses the first available device.
formatNoThe image format for the screenshot. Currently only PNG is supported.png

Implementation Reference

  • src/server.ts:46-49 (registration)
    Registration of the 'take_android_screenshot' tool within the ListTools handler, specifying name, description, and input schema.
    name: 'take_android_screenshot', description: 'Capture a screenshot from an Android device or emulator', inputSchema: TakeScreenshotToolSchema, },
  • Primary tool handler: validates input schema, invokes internal takeScreenshot logic, constructs MCP response with base64 PNG image and metadata text.
    case 'take_android_screenshot': { const input = TakeScreenshotInputSchema.parse(args); const result = await this.takeScreenshot(input); return { content: [ { type: 'image', data: result.data, mimeType: 'image/png', }, { type: 'text', text: `Android screenshot captured from ${result.deviceId}: ${result.width}x${result.height} pixels`, }, ], }; }
  • Internal handler method that delegates to screenshot utility, formats result, and validates with output schema.
    private async takeScreenshot( input: z.infer<typeof TakeScreenshotInputSchema> ): Promise<z.infer<typeof TakeScreenshotOutputSchema>> { const screenshot = await captureScreenshotResponse(input.deviceId); const result = { data: screenshot.data, format: screenshot.format, width: screenshot.width, height: screenshot.height, deviceId: screenshot.deviceId, timestamp: screenshot.timestamp, }; return TakeScreenshotOutputSchema.parse(result); }
  • MCP JSON Schema for 'take_android_screenshot' tool input, used in tool registration and client validation.
    export const TakeScreenshotToolSchema = { type: 'object' as const, properties: { deviceId: { type: 'string' as const, description: 'The ID of the Android device to capture a screenshot from. If not provided, uses the first available device.', }, format: { type: 'string' as const, enum: ['png'], default: 'png', description: 'The image format for the screenshot. Currently only PNG is supported.', }, }, required: [] as string[], };
  • Utility function that processes raw ADB screenshot buffer: extracts PNG dimensions, base64 encodes data, adds metadata.
    export async function captureScreenshotResponse(deviceId?: string): Promise<ScreenshotResponse> { try { // Capture screenshot as binary data (now returns Buffer directly) const buffer = captureScreenshot(deviceId); // Get image dimensions const { width, height } = getPNGDimensions(buffer); // Convert to base64 const base64Data = binaryToBase64(buffer); // Return formatted response return { data: base64Data, format: 'png', width, height, deviceId: deviceId || 'default', timestamp: Date.now(), }; } catch (error) { throw new Error( `Failed to capture screenshot: ${error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error)}` ); } }
  • Core implementation: executes ADB 'screencap -p' command via exec-out to retrieve raw PNG screenshot buffer from device/emulator with validation.
    export function captureScreenshot(deviceId?: string): Buffer { let targetDeviceId: string; try { if (deviceId) { // Verify the device exists const devices = getConnectedDevices(); const device = devices.find(d => d.id === deviceId); if (!device) { throw new DeviceNotFoundError(deviceId); } if (device.status !== 'device') { throw new ADBCommandError( 'DEVICE_NOT_AVAILABLE', `Device '${deviceId}' is not available (status: ${device.status})`, { device } ); } targetDeviceId = deviceId; } else { // Use the first available device const device = getFirstAvailableDevice(); targetDeviceId = device.id; } // Capture screenshot using binary command execution const command = targetDeviceId ? `-s ${targetDeviceId} exec-out screencap -p` : 'exec-out screencap -p'; const screenshotData = executeADBCommandBinary(command); if (!screenshotData || screenshotData.length === 0) { throw new ScreenshotCaptureError(targetDeviceId); } return screenshotData; } catch (error) { if (error instanceof ADBCommandError) { throw error; } throw new ScreenshotCaptureError( deviceId || 'unknown', error instanceof Error ? error : undefined ); } }

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