Real Android Device — Wireless ADB & Screen Mirror

A VS Code extension that connects to your real Android phone over Wi-Fi and mirrors its live screen inside VS Code — no emulator, no Android Studio.

Features

• Pair with code (Android 11+ wireless debugging): enter the phone's IP:port and 6-digit code, and the extension runs adb pair for you.
• Connect to IP:port: quick connection for already-paired devices or legacy adb tcpip setups.
• Connect via QR code: point the extension at a screenshot of a QR code and it will decode and act on it (pairing info, adb connect strings, or host:port).
• Show pairing QR: the extension displays the WIFI:T:ADB;… QR code that your phone scans from the Wireless debugging screen, then finds the phone's mDNS pairing service and pairs automatically — no code to type. (The QR carries a pairing service name and password, not Wi-Fi credentials; the phone must already be on the same network.)
• Live screen mirror in a VS Code panel:
  • HD mode — smooth H.264 streaming via screenrecord + WebCodecs.
  • Screenshot mode — JPEG frames that work on every device.
  • Tap / swipe / Home / Back / Recents / Power / Volume / text input controls sent back to the device over adb.
  • Save screenshots.
• Device tree view and status bar counter, with one-click mirroring, APK install, and disconnect.

Requirements

• Android SDK Platform Tools (adb) on your PATH, or set realDevice.adbPath in settings. The extension auto-detects ANDROID_HOME, PATH, and common SDK locations.
• A phone with Developer options → Wireless debugging enabled (Android 11+), on the same Wi-Fi network as your computer.
• For QR pairing, your network must allow mDNS (multicast) traffic. Check with adb mdns check / adb mdns services.

Quick start

1. Open the Real Device view in the activity bar.
2. Run Real Device: Pair with code and enter the IP:port and 6-digit code shown on your phone (Wireless debugging → Pair device with pairing code).
3. Once the device appears in the Devices tree, click it (or run Real Device: Show device screen) to open the mirror.
4. Use the toolbar to control the phone; toggle HD for smooth streaming.

Alternatively, use Real Device: Show pairing QR, then on the phone open Wireless debugging → Pair device with pairing code → Scan QR code (some phones: Pair device with QR code) and scan it. The extension waits for the phone's pairing service over mDNS, pairs, and connects automatically.

Settings

Logs & troubleshooting

Every adb command the extension runs is written to the Real Device output channel with its exit code, stdout/stderr, and any errors:

• Output panel (Ctrl+Shift+U) → dropdown → Real Device.
• Run Real Device: Show logs from the Command Palette, click the output icon in the Devices view title, or pick Show logs in the status bar menu.
• Error notifications include a Show logs button.
• Device tree entries show unauthorized / offline states; the mirror panel status line shows streaming errors.

Pairing codes are redacted (******) before they are logged.

QR pairing does not connect

• The QR is not a Wi-Fi credential QR. S/P are an mDNS pairing service name and pairing password; the phone must already be on the same Wi-Fi.
• Scan it from Wireless debugging → Pair device with pairing code → Scan QR code. The normal camera app / Google Lens will not start pairing.
• The QR expires with the panel; close and re-run Show pairing QR to get a fresh one.
• Verify mDNS works: adb mdns check should report a daemon version and adb mdns services should list _adb-tls-pairing._tcp after the phone scans.
• VPNs, guest Wi-Fi, and router "AP isolation" block the phone↔PC traffic that pairing needs. Use the pairing-code flow if mDNS is blocked.

For deeper diagnostics, run adb directly in the terminal:

adb devices -l
adb kill-server && adb start-server
adb logcat -d | tail -200        # PowerShell: `adb logcat -d | Select-Object -Last 200`
ADB_TRACE=all adb server nodaemon # Windows: `$env:ADB_TRACE='all'; adb server nodaemon`

See VS Code's own Developer: Show Logs… → Extension Host for extension-host errors, and Help → Toggle Developer Tools → Console for webview errors.

Building

npm install
npm test        # unit tests
npm run build   # bundle + typecheck
npm run package # create the .vsix