Droidock

A Python library and interactive CLI that remembers Android connection settings on your PC. It groups USB and wireless connections by device serial number, discovers changing addresses, and verifies the device identity before updating a saved profile.

uv tool install droidock
droidock

To run without a persistent CLI installation, use uvx droidock. To use the Python API in another project, run uv add droidock, then from droidock import ConnectionManager.

The package prefers the ADB executable included in adbutils, so a separate Android SDK or ADB installation is not required on supported platforms. If no bundled executable is available for your OS, configure an ADB path or provide ADB on PATH. The distribution has been verified on Windows x64.

First connection

Use Tab to switch tables, the arrow keys to select a row, and Enter to open its actions. Press A to add a device or F2 for settings and other tools. For a numbered menu, run uv run droidock --plain.

The overview scans once on startup and keeps that snapshot while you browse menus or edit saved preferences. Press R/F5 or select Scan again to refresh it. Opening Add a device reuses that snapshot; its address picker also offers Scan again. Selecting a wireless service tries its displayed addresses first. If they fail, Droidock discovers that same service again and retries changed addresses. Successful pairing refreshes discovery to find the connection port. Registration and connection actions refresh ADB connection status. Back and Exit do not start discovery. Use uv run droidock --version to check the installed version; restart an already running CLI after updating it.

Nearby services can advertise both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses. The table and selection menu show one entry per service name and purpose, with all its addresses retained. Selecting a wireless connection tries IPv4 first, then another advertised address if the connection fails (up to three addresses). A discovery entry is not yet a saved device: registration still requires a responding device with a verified serial number.

1. Select Add a device.
2. For USB, enable USB debugging on the device and authorize this PC before registering it.
3. For wireless access, join the same network, enable Wireless debugging, and open Pair device with pairing code on the device.
4. Select the pairing address in the CLI and enter the six-digit code. The code is hidden and is not saved.
5. After pairing, connect to the device's current connection address. The pairing port and connection port differ.
6. Choose Connect without saving or Connect and save this device. When saving, give the device a name. The first registered device becomes the default, with automatic connection enabled.

The same choice is available for wireless service rows, manually entered addresses, and Tailscale connections. Connect without saving verifies the connection without creating or updating a Droidock profile. It skips the name prompt; the connected device still appears in Devices and can be saved later from its row. Existing profiles retain their aliases, addresses, and automatic connection preferences. Exiting Droidock does not disconnect ADB. Wireless pairing may still persist ADB trust credentials independently of Droidock profiles.

For scripts, droidock connect --endpoint IP:PORT --no-save connects without saving. --save remains the command-line default. --name requires saving. With --no-save --json, the result contains saved: false, address, state, and identity; the existing saved-profile JSON format is unchanged for normal connections.

The interactive menu attempts to reconnect saved devices on subsequent launches. To keep checking connections while the program runs:

uv run droidock watch

watch periodically discovers and reconnects enabled devices until you stop it. It does not install an OS startup entry or background service. Change per-device preferences under Manage saved devices, and startup behavior under Connection settings. Disconnecting a saved device also disables its automatic connection preference. These settings control this tool's connection attempts; other applications and a shared ADB server can manage connections independently.

Device overview

The interactive overview and droidock devices always show two tables, including when they are empty:

📱 Devices uses a cyan bordered table; 📡 Wireless services uses magenta headings and horizontal rules. The icons and different borders distinguish the tables even without color.

• Devices combines saved profiles and detected ADB connections. It shows the device name and serial, whether it is saved, its connection status, USB or wireless addresses, and automatic connection preference. Matching USB and wireless connections share one row. Conflicting identities remain separate. Connections whose identity cannot be read show Unverified in the Saved column.
• Wireless services lists discovered connection and pairing services, grouping their IPv4 and IPv6 addresses. A service shows 🟢 Connected only when a responding wireless ADB connection matches its current address or full ADB service name. Otherwise it shows 🔎 Discovered, which does not establish whether a connection exists. USB connections, remembered addresses, and serial-like text in service names do not mark a wireless service connected. Pairing services remain Discovered.

Device states include 🟢 Connected, 🟡 Authorization required, and ⚪ Not connected. Status text is always included alongside the icon. Saved devices remain visible when offline, with historical addresses labeled Last wireless. Rendering these tables does not trigger discovery, connect devices, or save profiles. Use Scan again to refresh the view and Add a device to register a device. JSON output is unchanged.

In a supported terminal, both tables are selectable and scroll independently within a separate terminal screen. The selected row's serial, connection details, or service addresses appear below the tables. Long rows are shortened to fit the window; Enter opens their actions and details. The column headings and controls stay visible while scrolling, and the tables resize with the terminal.

Key	Action
Tab / Shift+Tab	Switch between Devices and Wireless services.
Up / Down	Select the previous or next row.
Page Up / Page Down	Move by one visible page.
Home / End	Select the first or last row.
Enter	Manage a saved device, save an unregistered connection, or connect/pair a service.
R / F5	Scan again.
A	Add a device, including manual addresses.
F2	Open settings, diagnostics, Tailscale, and other actions.
Q / Esc / Ctrl+C	Exit.

Mouse clicks select rows and the mouse wheel scrolls the table under the pointer in supported terminals. Returning to the overview clears the previous page, so repeated scans and actions do not accumulate in terminal history. Results such as connection details, diagnostics, and errors stay visible until you press Enter. Exiting, including Ctrl+C at the main menu, restores the previous terminal screen. --plain, redirected output, and terminals without screen-control support keep the normal scrolling output; standalone commands are unchanged.

Tailscale devices

Open Tailscale devices in the main menu. This reads the installed Tailscale client's device list, with Android devices first and both IP address families shown in one row. Tailscale must be installed, running, and signed in on this PC; it is optional for the rest of Droidock. Set DROIDOCK_TAILSCALE_PATH if its executable cannot be found. The device list is cached until you select Refresh device list. Opening a device menu or selecting Back does not search ports.

1. Select the device, then Find ADB port and connect.
2. The search first checks ports from current and saved connections at the selected IP. If none answers as ADB, it searches the other TCP ports on that one address, skipping the peer's advertised Tailscale API ports.
3. A progress bar shows checked ports, percentage, elapsed time, and ETA. ETA estimates the time to check the remaining range at the observed rate; it starts with “estimating” and can change with network conditions. The search stops immediately when ADB responds, or at the five-minute time limit. A partial search keeps its actual count instead of displaying 100%. Press Ctrl+C during the search to return to the device menu.
4. Droidock connects through ADB, verifies the physical device serial, and lets you save or edit its name. An existing profile for that serial keeps its ID and alias. Finding an ADB port does not grant authorization; first-time wireless pairing still requires the device's pairing code.

IPv4 is selected first. Use Select another device address to try IPv6, or Enter a known connection port to connect without searching. An online Tailscale status alone does not establish ADB access. Keep Wireless debugging enabled, and ensure Tailscale access rules allow the connection.

Successful endpoints are saved on this PC and used by normal automatic connection attempts. Startup, Scan again, and watch do not run broad Tailscale port searches. If the saved port stops working, reopen the Tailscale menu to find its current port. Local mDNS remains part of ordinary discovery; Tailscale device enumeration supplies peer addresses, not Android's changing debugging port.

The same functionality is available without terminal dependencies:

import asyncio

from droidock import AdbPortScanner, ConnectionManager, TailscaleClient, preferred_adb_ports

manager = ConnectionManager()
peers = TailscaleClient().peers()  # List devices without probing their ports.
peer = next(p for p in peers if p.name == "Office XR")  # The caller selects one device.
host = peer.addresses[0]
saved = [e for d in manager.store.read().devices for e in d.endpoints]
result = asyncio.run(
    AdbPortScanner().scan(
        host,
        preferred_ports=preferred_adb_ports(host, saved),
        excluded_ports=peer.peer_api_ports,
    )
)
if result.endpoint:
    device = manager.connect_endpoint(result.endpoint)  # Verify serial before saving.

Async applications can await scan() directly. Its optional on_progress callback receives PortScanProgress values, including eta_seconds. Pass a threading.Event as stop, or cancel the async task, to close all active probes. PortScanStatus distinguishes discovery, no response, timeout, and cancellation. Callers can set concurrency, timeouts, or an explicit port range. Peer names and IP addresses are discovery hints, not persistent Android identities; pass expected=manager.device(saved_name) when connecting on behalf of a specific saved device.

Saved connection settings

droidock settings shows the storage path. On Windows, the default is usually %LOCALAPPDATA%\droidock\state.json.

An explicit --data-dir or DeviceStore(directory) takes priority over DROIDOCK_HOME, followed by the default configuration directory. All stores use the same schema, so CLI and Python applications can share saved profiles or select separate directories.

The store contains:

• A persistent local device ID, name, verified serial number, manufacturer, and model.
• Wireless identifiers read from the connected device, recent connection addresses, and the last-seen timestamp.
• The default device and each device's automatic connection preference.
• The ADB executable path, server port, discovery duration, command timeout, and connection attempt limit.

Saved IP addresses and ports are connection candidates. A different device serial number never replaces the saved identity. Discovery combines ADB's results with independent mDNS discovery, which looks for device advertisements on the local network. After connecting to a new address, the manager checks the command response and serial number before updating the profile.

Writes use file locking and atomic replacement. An invalid or corrupted store is reported and preserved instead of being silently reset. ADB manages its authorization keys in the PC user's .android directory. This tool does not copy those keys or store pairing codes. Deleting a saved profile does not revoke pairing authorization on Android.

To keep separate records for another application, choose a different directory:

uv run droidock --data-dir C:\MyAppData\android devices
# Alternatively, set the DROIDOCK_HOME environment variable.

Set DROIDOCK_ADB_PATH to override the bundled executable. The saved adb_path setting takes priority over this environment variable. Set DROIDOCK_TAILSCALE_PATH to select a Tailscale executable, or pass its path directly to TailscaleClient(executable=...). The public base exception is DroidockError.

CLI commands

Interactive device details and diagnostics use labeled tables, readable statuses, and suggested next steps. Result commands also display tables or short messages by default. For scripts, append --json to devices, register, connect, pair, auto-connect, diagnose, settings, profile, or disconnect. For example, uv run droidock settings --json preserves the structured field names and values. JSON pairing requires an explicit address and --code-stdin, so prompts do not appear in the JSON output.

Command	Behavior
droidock	Attempt startup connections and open the interactive menu.
droidock --version	Show the installed version without loading profiles or starting ADB.
droidock devices --json	List profiles, current connections, and wireless services without requesting reconnection.
droidock register USB_SERIAL --name "Office XR"	Register an already connected device.
droidock pair IP:PAIRING_PORT	Pair using a hidden code prompt.
droidock connect --endpoint IP:CONNECT_PORT --name "Office XR"	Connect, verify identity, and register the device.
droidock connect "Office XR"	Discover and reconnect a saved device.
droidock connect --name "Lab tablet"	Select one connected or discovered device, verify it, and save its name.
droidock connect "Office XR" --endpoint IP:PORT	Connect to an explicit address and verify it matches the saved device.
droidock auto-connect	Try once for each device with automatic connection enabled.
droidock watch --interval 5	Maintain connections while running; stop with Ctrl+C.
droidock profile "Office XR" --default	Select the default device.
droidock profile "Office XR" --no-auto-connect	Disable automatic connection for this device.
droidock disconnect "Office XR"	Disconnect verified wireless connections and disable automatic connection.
droidock diagnose	Show ADB, server, and device diagnostics with connection guidance.
droidock restart-server	Confirm a local ADB server restart, then reconnect saved devices with automatic connection enabled.
droidock settings	Show connection settings and the storage path.
droidock settings adb_path auto	Prefer bundled ADB.
droidock forget "Office XR"	Confirm and delete the saved profile from this PC.

Prefix commands with uv run when working in the project. From another directory:

uv run --project ./path/to/droidock droidock

Explicit server recovery (0.1.3)

Choose Restart ADB server and reconnect when the ADB server or its discovery state appears stuck. The menu explains that other apps sharing the selected local server port will briefly lose their connections, then asks for confirmation. Saved profiles, aliases, default selection, and pairing credentials are kept. After restarting, Droidock verifies the server response and makes one bounded connection attempt for each saved device with automatic connection enabled. Disabled profiles are skipped; individual failures are shown without discarding successful reconnections. The menu then refreshes discovery explicitly.

This action is never triggered by startup, scans, or ordinary connection retries. It restarts only the configured local server port and uses the selected ADB executable; it does not terminate every ADB process on the PC. Each stop/start command has a timeout of at least 20 seconds (or the configured command timeout if longer). A restart cannot remove multicast restrictions imposed by the network.

uv run droidock restart-server
uv run droidock restart-server --yes --json

--json requires --yes. Exit code 1 means that the server restart or at least one reconnection failed. A successful restart with partial connection failures has server_restarted: true and per-device errors in its JSON result.

Applications can expose the same explicit action without terminal dependencies:

from droidock import ConnectionManager

manager = ConnectionManager()
# Call only after the user requests recovery; this interrupts other server clients.
report = manager.restart_server()
# Use manager.restart_server(reconnect=False) to restart without reconnecting profiles.

Custom backends may implement the optional ServerControlBackend protocol. Unsupported backends raise DroidockError with code unsupported_operation.

For scripted pairing, use pair IP:PORT --code-stdin and send the code through standard input. Successful pairing confirms the trust exchange; a subsequent connection must still verify the device response. The default command timeout is 5 seconds, pairing has a 30-second timeout, and reconnection allows up to 3 attempts by default. Each attempt tries at most 3 addresses, preferring current discovery results over saved addresses.

Use the library in another project

Applications use the same ConnectionManager as the CLI. The core has no terminal prompts or output and does not import Typer or Questionary. Importing the package does not start ADB or connect to devices.

During local development, add this package from a sibling project:

uv add ../droidock

from droidock import ConnectionManager

# Share the profiles registered through the CLI.
manager = ConnectionManager()
transport = manager.ensure_connected("Office XR")
result = manager.run(["shell", "getprop", "ro.product.model"], device=transport)
print(result.stdout.strip())

Use a separate store when your application should manage its own profiles:

from droidock import ConnectionManager, DeviceStore

manager = ConnectionManager(DeviceStore("./my-app-data/android"))

Applications can use the verified connection address for installation, file transfer, and other ADB operations. The package has no dependency on an application workspace or a particular device model. See examples/integrate.py for a runnable integration example.

APK installation and application control

Droidock can deploy an existing standalone APK from any working directory. It does not require Unity, a source repository, or a particular device model. The application ID is supplied explicitly.

droidock install application.apk --package com.example.app --device "Test phone"
droidock install application.apk --package com.example.app --device "Test phone" --launch
droidock launch com.example.app --device "Test phone"
droidock stop com.example.app --device "Test phone"

Select Install an APK from a connected device or saved device's menu for the interactive flow. install --json returns installation status, selected address, SHA-256, method, elapsed seconds, cleanup warnings, and whether launch was requested and succeeded. --allow-downgrade is opt-in; existing application data is preserved and Droidock never uninstalls an app to bypass a signature error.

from droidock import ConnectionManager, Deployment

manager = ConnectionManager()
transport = manager.ensure_connected("Test phone")
deployment = Deployment(manager, transport)
result = deployment.install_apk("application.apk", package="com.example.app")
if result.installed:
    print("Installed and verified")
else:
    print("The identical APK is already installed")
deployment.launch("com.example.app")

All operations reuse that manager and selected transport. USB uses streaming installation; wireless uses a unique staging file with size and SHA-256 checks before installation. Both verify the installed APK's SHA-256. A lost acknowledgement is accepted only when device state confirms completion. Installation rejection, including signature or version mismatch, is reported without uninstalling. Cleanup failure cannot hide an installation failure; successful results carry any cleanup warnings.

This API currently supports one standalone APK, not split APK sets or app bundles. Verification requires device sha256sum/stat and permission to read the installed APK. Supply its actual application ID: a different ID cannot be verified after installation. strategy="streaming" or "staged" overrides automatic transport selection. timeout defaults to 1800 seconds per transfer/install command. An interrupted or failed connection does not switch to another device; reconnect explicitly before retrying. launch(..., activity=".MainActivity") supports apps needing an explicit activity. Application-specific configuration, permissions, and runtime health checks remain the caller's responsibility.

AdbBackend.executable_path locates the executable without running it, for previews. executable, command(), and run() still validate the executable before use.

Device acquisition and selection

ensure_connected(selector=None, ...) owns selection, discovery, connection verification, and registration.

connect_endpoint(endpoint, remember=False) and connect_endpoints(endpoints, remember=False) also support connections without profile writes and return a verified Transport. Their default remember=True behavior continues to return a saved DeviceRecord. name cannot be combined with remember=False; expected still enforces the requested device identity. Use scan(update_saved=False) when discovery must also leave saved profiles untouched. Callers supply requirements and consume the returned Transport; they do not need to inspect the profile store or implement reconnection branches. resolve() and connect() retain their saved-profile contract and share the same workflow internally.

from droidock import ConnectionManager, Deployment, DeviceCriteria, SelectionError

manager = ConnectionManager()
try:
    transport = manager.ensure_connected(
        criteria=DeviceCriteria(models=("Example tablet", "Example phone")),
        name="Test device",
    )
    # Operation order and application-specific checks belong to the caller.
    Deployment(manager, transport).install_apk("application.apk", package="com.example.app")
except SelectionError as error:
    print(error.code, error.candidates)  # IDs/addresses for a GUI, CLI, or service response.

• Selectors accept saved names, profile IDs, physical serials, current ADB transport addresses, and historical saved endpoints. A historical endpoint selects its saved identity and searches for its current address. endpoint=... explicitly overrides the connection address; with a selector it must match that device.
• Without a selector, a matching default profile takes priority, followed by a single current device, a single eligible saved profile, or a single discovered service. Unavailable defaults never select another device.
• Disabled automatic connection blocks implicit reconnection. Explicit selection may reconnect that profile.
• DeviceCriteria accepts models, manufacturers, serials, and an optional predicate(Identity). String matching is case-insensitive and exact. No model names or manufacturer rules are built in. Criteria are checked again after connection, before saving. Discovery does not necessarily advertise model details, so multiple unknown services are returned as an ambiguity instead of connecting to each to guess.
• device_groups(criteria=..., prefer_usb=True) lists responding connections without discovery or profile writes. USB and wireless observations are grouped using their reported identities; conflicting model, manufacturer, Wi-Fi GUID, or multiple wired observations remain separate with a conflict explanation. Unidentified connections also remain separate. group_transports() applies the same rule to a supplied list.
• remember=False performs no profile writes or renaming. It also permits explicit use of a responding connection with no readable device serial. Such a connection is not treated as a persistent identity. reconnect=False only selects existing connections; discover=False permits saved/explicit addresses without discovery. prefer_usb=False prefers a wireless route within one device group.
• Connection attempts remain bounded (1–5 rounds, at most 3 candidate addresses per round). Current discovery precedes saved addresses; a discovery failure still permits saved addresses. Identity, criteria, and storage errors stop immediately. Already-connected devices do not trigger discovery.

Service selection and command execution

select_service(ServiceKind.PAIRING, selector=None) selects one advertised service by purpose and optional instance/address, retaining all IPv4/IPv6 addresses. Missing and ambiguous results use distinct error codes. pair_discovered(code, selector=None) uses only pairing services and tries an alternate address on a transport failure. The code must be supplied by the caller; the library never prompts or prints it. select_service(groups, kind, selector) is also available as a pure function for an existing snapshot.

ConnectionManager.run(arguments, device=..., timeout=..., check=True) executes through the same backend and server as discovery/connection. Pass an acquired Transport to avoid selecting again. Custom backends can opt into the separate CommandBackend protocol; existing connection-only backends do not need new methods.

AdbBackend.run(arguments, serial=..., input_text=..., cwd=..., timeout=..., check=True) exposes direct command execution. CommandResult contains returncode, stdout, stderr, and combined output. Nonzero exits raise CommandError with the structured result; check=False returns that result. Timeout failures use code timeout. Positive finite timeouts may exceed the default for long installations or file transfers. Arguments are passed without a shell, stdin text is redacted from captured output, and remote-server environment overrides are removed without modifying the parent environment. For streaming subprocesses, use AdbBackend.command(arguments, serial=...) together with AdbBackend.environment().

Optional network discovery

Default discovery remains ADB plus multicast mDNS, with IPv4 and IPv6 support. Applications can add bounded unicast queries when multicast discovery is unavailable:

from droidock import CompositeDiscovery, ConnectionManager, MdnsDiscovery, UnicastDiscovery

manager = ConnectionManager(
    discovery=CompositeDiscovery(
        MdnsDiscovery(),
        UnicastDiscovery(include_local_networks=True, max_hosts=512),
        fallback_only=True,
    )
)
transport = manager.ensure_connected()

UnicastDiscovery accepts explicit IP targets, explicit CIDR networks, and actual local IPv4 interface networks. It reads their real prefix lengths instead of guessing /24. candidate_hosts() previews the plan without sending packets. Oversized networks are skipped with warnings rather than silently truncated; the combined target count is bounded by max_hosts. IPv6 uses multicast or explicit scoped IP addresses, never subnet enumeration. SRV ports and advertised address records are used; service names are not identity proof.

CompositeDiscovery merges providers concurrently, or tries fallbacks in sequence within a shared time budget. All providers must honor the discover(seconds) contract. A custom Discovery can supply services from another environment. Tailscale peers can supply explicit IP targets, but unicast mDNS only works if those peers respond to UDP 5353. This feature does not automatically scan Tailscale TCP ports; the existing explicit Tailscale scan remains available separately.

Extension points:

• ServiceKind.CONNECT and ServiceKind.PAIRING: typed service purposes on Service and ServiceGroup. Python callers should pass these enum members. Existing string inputs are normalized at runtime; unsupported values raise ValueError. JSON continues to use "connect" and "pairing", with unchanged field names.
• Snapshot.service_groups or group_services(services): obtain one entry per advertised service with all its addresses. Snapshot.services and devices --json retain the individual address records.
• connect_endpoints(endpoints, name=...): connect through a selected service's addresses and save a verified device. Pass expected=record to require an existing device identity; profile and identity errors stop fallback.
• Backend: replace ADB queries, connection, pairing, and identity inspection.
• Discovery: add discovery for a different network environment.
• DeviceStore(directory): isolate storage; subclass it to replace the storage implementation.
• on_event(ConnectionEvent): send discovery, connection, and failure events to your application's UI or logs.
• watch(stop=threading.Event()): let the calling application stop its reconnection loop.
• DroidockError.code: handle failures by error category.

Another connected Android device never satisfies a request for the selected device. Missing serial numbers and conflicting model details for the same serial prevent automatic registration or merging. Serial matching is not a cryptographic defense against cloned identifiers; authentication uses Android's ADB authorization and pairing.

Connection troubleshooting

A powered-on device may still be unavailable to ADB. Wireless debugging may be disabled, the network may block discovery advertisements, or USB authorization or drivers may be missing. In those cases, update the device settings or enter its current connection address manually. Windows USB connections may require device-specific drivers.

The tool reuses a compatible running ADB server and does not automatically stop the shared server. A protocol version conflict produces guidance to select a compatible ADB executable or a separate local server port.

Development and validation

Use English for project documentation, CLI messages, comments, docstrings, and examples. User-provided device names remain unchanged. Use uv to manage the Python environment and dependencies.

uv sync
uv run ruff check .
uv run ruff format --check .
uv run isort --check-only --diff .
uv run pyright
uv run pytest -q
uv lock --check
uv build --no-sources

Ruff includes import-order checks (I), and isort is also installed as a development dependency for a separate check. Both use a line length of 110; isort uses the black profile. Pyright covers src, tests, scripts, and examples.

Tests cover identity persistence after address changes, reassigned addresses, USB/wireless duplicates, requested device verification, connection preferences, pairing secrets, storage corruption and concurrent writes, and CLI behavior. See VALIDATION.md for executed checks, isolated wheel installation, and physical-device verification limits.

External API references: adbutils, ADB commands, wireless ADB, ADB protocol, Tailscale CLI, Zeroconf, isort configuration, Ruff formatter.