Connect your computer

Why: you want to debug the app from Android Studio, run adb commands or open chrome://inspect on your laptop, while the device itself runs in the portal.

What happens

1. Open Computers (the laptop button in the header) and press Get the command.
2. Copy the command and paste it into a terminal on your Mac or Linux machine.
3. The script downloads the holtdroid client, checks it and connects. Your computer appears on the page as online.
4. If adb is installed, every device you run is already connected: adb devices lists it.

curl -fsSL https://holtdroid.example.com/tunnel.sh | sh -s -- eyJhbGciOi…

Good to know

• ADB (Android Debug Bridge) is the tool that talks to an Android device from your computer: install apps, read logs, open a shell. Android Studio uses it too.
• Each device gets its own port on your computer, from 15555 up, for example 127.0.0.1:15555. The Computers page and the device’s SSH card show which one is which.
• The client keeps running in the terminal and reconnects by itself when the network drops or the laptop wakes up. Press q to quit.
• The code in the command works once and only for 10 minutes. Next time run ~/.cache/holtdroid/holtdroid, or install the holtdroid command from the client’s Settings and just run holtdroid.
• You don’t need SSH keys or an ssh command: the client makes its own key and never touches ~/.ssh.

If it doesn’t work

• The Computers button is missing: the SSH gateway is turned off on this portal. Ask whoever runs it.
• The command says the code expired: get a fresh command on the Computers page.
• The device isn’t in adb devices: check that adb is on your PATH; otherwise connect by hand with adb connect 127.0.0.1:<port>, taking the port from the Computers page.
• Windows: the client runs on macOS and Linux. Use WSL.

More details: Connecting your computer.