Mobilerun

Control real Android phones through an API -- tap, swipe, type, take screenshots, read the UI tree, manage apps, and more.

Before You Start

Do NOT ask the user for an API key or to set up a device before checking. Always probe first:

1. Resolve the API key:

   • The key is provided via the MOBILERUN_API_KEY environment variable (set by OpenClaw during skill loading)
   • If the key is not available, ask the user to set it in their OpenClaw config or provide it when prompted

2. Test the API key and check for devices in one call: Call GET /devices with the user's key to check device availability:

   • 200 with a device in state: "ready" = good to go, skip all setup, just do what the user asked
   • 200 but no devices or all state: "disconnected" = device issue (see step 3)
   • 401 = key is bad, expired, or revoked -- ask the user to check their dashboard

3. Only if no ready device: tell the user the device status and suggest a fix:

   • No devices at all = user hasn't connected a phone yet, guide them to Portal APK (see setup.md)
   • Device with state: "disconnected" = Portal app lost connection, ask user to reopen it

4. Confirm device is responsive (optional, only if first action fails): Call GET /devices/{deviceId}/screenshot — if this returns a PNG image, the device is working.

Key principle: If the API key is set and a device is ready, go straight to executing the user's request. Don't walk them through setup they've already completed.

Quick Reference

| Goal | Endpoint | |------|----------| | See the screen | GET /devices/{id}/screenshot | | Read UI elements | GET /devices/{id}/ui-state?filter=true | | Tap | POST /devices/{id}/tap -- {x, y} | | Swipe | POST /devices/{id}/swipe -- {startX, startY, endX, endY, duration} | | Type text | POST /devices/{id}/keyboard -- {text, clear} | | Press key | PUT /devices/{id}/keyboard -- {key} (Android keycode) | | Go back | POST /devices/{id}/global -- {action: 1} | | Go home | POST /devices/{id}/global -- {action: 2} | | Open app | PUT /devices/{id}/apps/{packageName} | | List apps | GET /devices/{id}/apps |

All endpoints use base URL https://api.mobilerun.ai/v1 with the user's API key in the Authorization header (see setup.md for auth details).

Detailed Documentation

• setup.md -- Authentication, API key setup, device connectivity, troubleshooting
• phone-api.md -- Phone control API: screenshot, UI state, tap, swipe, type, app management
• subscription.md -- Plans, pricing, credits, device types, and when to recommend upgrades

Common Patterns

Observe-Act Loop: Most phone control tasks follow this cycle:

1. Take a screenshot and/or read the UI state
2. Decide what action to perform
3. Execute the action (tap, type, swipe, etc.)
4. Observe again to verify the result
5. Repeat

Finding tap coordinates: Use GET /devices/{id}/ui-state?filter=true to get the accessibility tree with element bounds, then calculate the center of the target element to get tap coordinates.

Typing into a field:

1. Check phone_state.isEditable -- if false, tap the input field first
2. Optionally clear existing text with clear: true
3. Send the text via POST /devices/{id}/keyboard

Error Handling

| Error | Likely cause | What to do | |-------|-------------|------------| | 401 | Invalid or expired API key | Ask user to verify key in their Mobilerun dashboard | | Empty device list | No device connected | Guide user to connect via Portal APK (see setup.md) | | Device disconnected | Portal app closed or phone lost network | Ask user to check phone and reopen Portal | | Billing/plan error on POST /devices | Free plan, cloud devices need subscription | Tell user to check plans in their dashboard (see subscription.md) | | Action returns error on valid device | Device may be busy, locked, or unresponsive | Try taking a screenshot first to check state | | 403 with "limit reached" | Plan limit hit (e.g. max concurrent devices) | User needs to terminate a device or upgrade (see subscription.md) |