Mobile Quick Start

Get Android and iOS automation running in your AI coding assistant in 5 minutes.

1. Install requirements

# Install Appium 3 globally
npm install -g appium

# Install the UiAutomator2 driver (Android)
appium driver install uiautomator2

# iOS only — macOS + Xcode required
appium driver install xcuitest

Install ADB via Android SDK Platform Tools or Android Studio.

Verify everything works:

adb devices          # should list your device or emulator
appium server        # should start on port 4723

2. Add the mobile MCP to your client

The JSON config is identical for all clients — only the file location differs:

Claude Desktop — edit ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (macOS) or %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json (Windows)

Cursor — edit ~/.cursor/mcp.json

Windsurf — edit ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json

VS Code — edit .vscode/mcp.json in your workspace

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "deepsyte-mobile": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "deepsyte@latest", "mobile-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Restart your client after saving.

3. Start Appium

appium server
# Appium is running on http://0.0.0.0:4723

Keep this terminal open while you work.

4. Connect a device or start an emulator

# Start an Android emulator (requires Android Studio AVD)
emulator -avd Pixel_7_API_34

# Or connect a physical device via USB (enable USB debugging first)
adb devices   # confirm it appears

5. Ask your AI assistant

With the MCP connected and Appium running, try:

"What Android devices are connected?"

The agent calls mobile_devices and lists your devices.

"Start a session on emulator-5554 for com.android.settings and take a screenshot"

The agent calls mobile_session_start, captures the screen with mobile_screenshot, and returns the image.

6. Run a full flow

"Open the Settings app on my Android emulator, navigate to Display, and screenshot the result"

The agent navigates the native UI autonomously — tapping, reading the screen, and adapting to what it finds.

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Fix
`mobile_devices` returns empty	Run `adb devices` — device must appear there first
Session times out during startup	Pass `extraCaps: { uiautomator2ServerLaunchTimeout: 60000, uiautomator2ServerInstallTimeout: 60000, adbExecTimeout: 60000 }` to `mobile_session_start`
`mobile_session_start` fails with connection refused	Appium is not running — start with `appium server`
Clipboard tools fail with 404	You're on Appium 2 — upgrade to Appium 3 (`npm install -g appium`)
iOS session fails	macOS only. Verify Xcode and WebDriverAgent are installed. Run `appium driver install xcuitest` if missing.
Session fails with "App not installed"	Pass the full APK path in `app` instead of `bundleId`, or install first with `mobile_install_app`