Android Emulator Manager

Using the Manager Script vs. Raw SDK Tools

Use scripts/emumanager as the primary interface for managing Android emulators and AVDs. References to scripts/... in this skill are relative to this skill directory. The script unifies and orchestrates sdkmanager, avdmanager, and emulator:

• Automatic system image resolution across device form factors (--mobile, --wear, --tv)
• Boot completion detection with configurable timeouts
• Preflight SDK environment diagnostics (scripts/emumanager doctor)
• Sensible hardware defaults and clear error diagnostics

When to use raw SDK tools: If you need specialized emulator launch flags or are debugging an isolated SDK installation issue, calling emulator or avdmanager directly is supported. Consult the script source in scripts/ to see the precise command invocations and environment checks it performs.

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

# First-time setup (installs cmdline-tools, platform-tools, build-tools, emulator)
scripts/emumanager bootstrap

# Diagnose issues (Java version, hardware acceleration, disk space)
scripts/emumanager doctor

# Create a mobile/phone AVD with latest API
scripts/emumanager create avd my_phone --mobile

# Start the AVD
scripts/emumanager start avd my_phone

# List all AVDs (shows running status)
scripts/emumanager list avd

# Show detailed AVD information
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  # Skip emulator installation

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).

# List AVDs
scripts/emumanager list avd              # Show all AVDs with status
scripts/emumanager list avd --names-only # Just AVD names
scripts/emumanager list avd --running-only
scripts/emumanager list avd --stopped-only

# List Packages
scripts/emumanager list package          # List all installed SDK packages
scripts/emumanager list package --outdated # List packages with updates

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   # Mobile/phone (default)
scripts/emumanager create avd my_watch --wear     # Wear OS
scripts/emumanager create avd my_tv --tv          # Android/Google TV
scripts/emumanager create avd my_car --auto       # Android Automotive

# With specific system image
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              # Quick Boot (fast)
scripts/emumanager start avd my_phone --cold-boot  # Cold boot (bypass snapshots)
scripts/emumanager start avd my_phone --wipe-data  # Factory reset + cold boot

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 Material

• Command Index — Detailed subcommand reference, arguments, options, and raw commands.
• Troubleshooting — Solutions for common emulator issues, boot loops, and hardware acceleration errors.