---
id: adbutils
version: "2.12.0"
license: MIT
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: active
---

# adbutils — Pure Python Adb Library

License: permissive · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 642.9K/mo

## What it is and what it does

adbutils is a pure Python implementation of the ADB protocol that lets you programmatically control Android devices connected via USB or network. It wraps the low-level ADB protocol in a high-level API, allowing you to list devices, run shell commands, transfer files, take screenshots, and manage port forwarding—all without shelling out to the system `adb` command.

The library is built on top of socket communication with an ADB server and handles the protocol details internally. It depends on requests for HTTP operations, Pillow for image handling in screenshots, retry2 for connection resilience, and deprecation for API lifecycle management. It's actively maintained, supports Python 3.8 through 3.10, and has no known security vulnerabilities.

Use it for:

- Automate testing workflows by running shell commands and capturing output from connected Android devices
- Build mobile device farms or CI/CD pipelines that need to control multiple Android devices programmatically
- Transfer test data or APKs to devices and retrieve logs or screenshots for test reporting
- Monitor device properties and state changes in real-time without spawning external processes
- Implement custom device management tools that integrate ADB functionality into larger Python applications

## Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts above — verify before relying.

adbutils is a Python library that communicates with Android devices through the ADB (Android Debug Bridge) protocol, enabling shell commands, file transfers, screenshots, and device management from Python code.

Yes, if you need to automate Android device control from Python. The library is actively maintained, has no known vulnerabilities, uses a permissive MIT license, and offers a clean Python API over the ADB protocol. Medium install friction from its dependencies is acceptable for most use cases. Not necessary if you only need occasional manual ADB commands.

## Install

pip install adbutils
uv add adbutils
poetry add adbutils

## Installing adbutils

Before you install: Medium install friction due to 4 runtime dependencies (requests, deprecation, retry2, Pillow) and platform-specific wheels for macOS, Linux, and Windows. Actively maintained with recent commits and no known vulnerabilities.

License in practice: MIT license is permissive; you can use, modify, and distribute this package with minimal restrictions, provided you include the license notice.

Quickstart:

pip install adbutils

from adbutils import adb

# Connect to ADB server and list devices
for device in adb.device_list():
    print(device.serial)

# Execute shell command on a device
d = adb.device()
output = d.shell("getprop ro.serialno")
print(output)

Requires Python 3.8 or later and a running ADB server (typically started via `adb start-server` or bundled with Android SDK).

Verify before relying:

- Whether Pillow is required for all use cases or only for screenshot functionality
- Whether the package works with all ADB server versions or has specific compatibility constraints

## Package facts

- License: MIT (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: medium
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 642.9K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

adb python library, android device control python, adb shell commands, android file transfer python, device automation adb, android-automation, adb-protocol, device-testing

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