# A hosted Android MCP server for your agent.

Mobilebox is a hosted Android MCP server: add `https://mobilebox.dev/mcp` to Claude Code, Cursor, Codex or any MCP client, and your agent gets 14 tools to create cloud Android phones, read the screen, tap, type and install APKs. No ADB, no emulator and nothing to run on your machine.

[Get started](https://mobilebox.dev/docs) [Connect your client](https://mobilebox.dev/blog/android-mcp-cursor-codex-vscode)

Streamable HTTP. Sign in over OAuth, or send an API key.

## Connect in one line.

The key comes from your environment, never from the prompt. Clients with MCP sign-in need no key at all.

14 MCP tools

- `list_phones`

- `create_phone`

- `start_phone`

- `park_phone`

- `delete_phone`

- `set_device`

- `install_app`

- `list_apps`

- `uninstall_app`

- `observe`

- `act`

- `screenshot`

- `watch_phone`

- `request_capability`

```
claude mcp add --transport http mobilebox https://mobilebox.dev/mcp \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer $MOBILESANDBOX_API_KEY"
```

```
{
  "url": "https://mobilebox.dev/mcp",
  "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer $MOBILESANDBOX_API_KEY" }
}
```

Exact entries for [Cursor, Codex and VS Code](https://mobilebox.dev/blog/android-mcp-cursor-codex-vscode), and the [Claude Code guide](https://mobilebox.dev/blog/android-agent-mcp).

## What your agent does with it.

Your agent supplies the reasoning. The server supplies the phone.

[The agent guide](https://mobilebox.dev/docs/agents)

1. Create a phone
   `create_phone` returns a ready cloud Android phone, or an iPhone with `platform: "ios"`.

2. Read, then act
   `observe` returns the screen as numbered elements; `act` taps, types and swipes by number and returns the new screen. `install_app` takes an APK URL.

3. Park or delete
   `park_phone` keeps apps and logins for the next run, free. `watch_phone` opens a [live view](https://mobilebox.dev/live-view) while it works.

## Hosted or local Android MCP server?

A local server drives a phone you already have. A hosted one brings the phone.

|  | Local server (such as mobile-mcp) | Hosted server (Mobilebox) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| The phone | Your emulator or a phone on USB | A cloud Android phone or iPhone per task |
| Runs on | Your machine, over ADB | Our servers; your client sends HTTPS |
| Works in cloud agents and CI | Only where an emulator can run | Anywhere with a network connection |
| Keeps logins between runs | On that machine | Park the phone, free |

The longer answer: [Android MCP server, hosted or local?](https://mobilebox.dev/blog/android-mcp-server-hosted-vs-local) Every option side by side, with measured start times: [the best Android MCP servers in 2026](https://mobilebox.dev/blog/best-android-mcp-servers).

## Questions

Before you add the server.

Do I need ADB, an emulator or Android Studio?

No. The phone runs on our servers and the MCP server talks to it; your client only needs the URL and a key or a sign-in. That is why it works in cloud coding agents and CI runners without KVM.

Can I add it as a connector in Claude or ChatGPT?

Yes. Add `https://mobilebox.dev/mcp` as a custom connector with no key; the client signs you in over MCP OAuth and you choose a workspace. Claude Code, Cursor and VS Code sign in the same way. See [MCP sign-in](https://mobilebox.dev/docs/reference#mcp-sign-in).

Can a client list the tools before signing in?

Yes. `initialize` and `tools/list` answer without a key, so clients and directories see every tool and its schema. Calling a tool needs a key or a sign-in.

Does it work with iPhone?

Yes. Create the phone with `platform: "ios"` and the agent uses the same tools. See [iPhone and iPad](https://mobilebox.dev/ios).

Is there a REST API too?

Yes, with the same key and the same actions, described in [OpenAPI](https://mobilebox.dev/openapi.json). Use it from your own code to create and delete phones around an agent run. See the [API reference](https://mobilebox.dev/docs/reference).

What does it cost?

$0.01 per ready phone-minute for a cloud Android phone, billed per second with a one-minute minimum. Boot time and parked phones are free, and new workspaces get free credit. See [pricing](https://mobilebox.dev/pricing).

## Read more

[Android MCP server: hosted or local? Local servers like mobile-mcp drive your own emulator over ADB; hosted servers give your agent a URL and a phone. Endpoints, sign-in and a tools/list you can run. Decisions4 min read](https://mobilebox.dev/blog/android-mcp-server-hosted-vs-local) [Give your coding agent an Android sandbox over MCP Add the remote MCP server to Claude Code or Cursor, see every phone tool, run a bounded first task and know what is proven. Guides3 min read](https://mobilebox.dev/blog/android-agent-mcp) [Test your Android app with Claude Code on a cloud phone Give Claude Code a hosted Android phone over MCP, install your APK from a URL, check the first screen and delete the phone, with the tool calls we ran. Guides3 min read](https://mobilebox.dev/blog/claude-code-android-app-testing)

What a [mobile sandbox](https://mobilebox.dev/mobile-sandbox) is, and [which AI sandbox](https://mobilebox.dev/ai-sandbox) a task needs.

## Try it in your agent in 60 seconds

Paste this into Claude Code, Cursor, Codex or any agent that can read a web page. It asks for your email, gets its own key at once and adds the phone tools; the 6-digit code from your inbox keeps the workspace.

```
Set up Mobilebox for me: read https://mobilebox.dev/setup.md?via=android-mcp-server and follow it.
```

[What your agent reads](https://mobilebox.dev/setup.md?via=android-mcp-server)

## Next questions

- [How fast do cloud phones start, measured?](https://mobilebox.dev/benchmarks?via=next-benchmarks)

- [Is there a Python package?](https://mobilebox.dev/blog/android-phone-for-python-ai-agent?via=next-python)

- [Mobilebox or Firebase Test Lab?](https://mobilebox.dev/blog/mobilebox-vs-firebase-test-lab?via=next-firebase)

- [Mobilebox or BrowserStack?](https://mobilebox.dev/blog/mobilebox-vs-browserstack?via=next-browserstack)

- [Cloud phone or a local emulator?](https://mobilebox.dev/blog/mobilebox-vs-local-emulator?via=next-emulator)

- [Mobilebox, Limrun or Mobilerun?](https://mobilebox.dev/blog/mobilebox-vs-limrun?via=next-limrun)

- [How do I add it to Cursor, Codex or VS Code?](https://mobilebox.dev/blog/android-mcp-cursor-codex-vscode?via=next-setup)

- [Can my agent run 50 phones in parallel?](https://mobilebox.dev/blog/run-android-phones-in-parallel?via=next-parallel)