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You’re building and testing agents on your own machine. In all local scenarios, you install AgentOS via pip install askui-agent-os and your Python SDK connects to the local AgentOS instance over gRPC.

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Desktop

Automate the desktop on your own Windows, macOS, or Linux machine. AgentOS runs in standalone mode alongside your agent code. When to use: Day-to-day development, debugging, and interactive testing. Install: pip install askui-agent-os → Standalone Your agent code and AgentOS run in the same machine. The SDK sends commands via gRPC, and AgentOS translates them into OS-level actions — screenshots, keyboard input, mouse control.

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Mobile Device

Automate an Android or iOS device connected to your machine via USB. When to use: Mobile app testing, device interaction during development. Install: pip install askui-agent-os → Standalone AgentOS acts as a bridge: it receives commands from the SDK via gRPC and forwards them to the connected device using ADB (Android) or IDB (iOS). The device stays connected via USB.
You only need one of ADB or IDB depending on your target device — both are shown for completeness.
ADB (Android Debug Bridge) must be available on your PATH. ADB works with both physical devices and emulators. See Google’s guide on running apps on the Android Emulator to get started with emulators.
1

Download SDK Platform Tools

Download from developer.android.com and unzip to a folder (e.g. C:\platform-tools or ~/platform-tools).
2

Add to PATH

Add the unzipped folder to your User or System PATH environment variable.
3

Verify

Open a new terminal and run:
adb version
You should see the ADB version output.
iOS automation requires macOS with Xcode and the Facebook IDB companion. IDB currently only works with iOS Simulators, not physical devices. See Apple’s guide on running your app in Simulator to get started.
1

Install Xcode with iOS Simulators

Install Xcode from the App Store and configure iOS Simulators. Verify they are visible:
xcrun xctrace list devices
2

Install IDB companion

brew tap facebook/fb
brew install idb-companion
3

Verify

Open a new terminal and run:
idb_companion --list 1
You should see your available simulators or devices listed.

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KVM (External Hardware)

Control a target device through physical hardware connections — keyboard/mouse via USB or Bluetooth, screen capture via HDMI. When to use: The target device can’t have software installed on it (locked-down environments, embedded systems, kiosks). Install: pip install askui-agent-os → Standalone This is Companion Mode: AgentOS simulates keyboard and mouse input over USB or Bluetooth HID, and captures the target’s screen via an HDMI-to-USB capture device. No software installation on the target is required.