Turning Old Phones Into AI Agents with droidclaw
The Problem
We all have old Android phones lying around, and most of the time, they’re just gathering dust. They could be doing something useful, but setting up automation on these devices has always been a nightmare. You either need a million APIs, deal with janky tools, or write custom scripts for every little task. And even then, you’re stuck with rigid, predefined workflows that break as soon as an app updates its UI. What if you could just tell your phone what to do, and it would figure it out?
What This Does
droidclaw is a DIY tool that turns your old Android devices into AI-powered task runners. You give it a goal in plain English, and it reads the screen via accessibility APIs, uses a large language model (LLM) to decide what to do, and then performs actions (taps, swipes, typing) via ADB. No more hardcoding every single interaction.
At its core, the magic happens in src/kernel.ts — the brains of the operation. It loops through a cycle of think (ask the LLM what the goal requires), act (send ADB commands like input tap or input text), and repeat until the task is done. If you need reusable automations, you can use JSON-based workflows (see examples/workflows) or YAML flows (see examples/flows).
You can run it with just:
bun run src/kernel.ts
Then, type a goal like "open Instagram and like the first post" — and watch your phone do the thing.
Real-World Use
Imagine you want to send a message to your team on Slack every morning with your daily standup update. Instead of fumbling with Slack’s API (ugh) or manually typing it in, you use the examples/workflows/messaging/slack-standup.json:
{ "name": "slack standup", "steps": [ { "app": "com.Slack", "goal": "open #standup channel, type the message and send it", "formData": { "Message": "yesterday: fixed bugs\ntoday: refactor tests\nblockers: none" } } ] }
Run it with:
bun run src/kernel.ts --workflow examples/workflows/messaging/slack-standup.json
Done. No APIs, no manual inputs, no wasted time.
The Bottom Line
droidclaw is ridiculously cool if you’re into automation and have a spare Android lying around. It’s experimental, sure, and you’ll need some patience (and a willingness to debug when it screws up). But for hackers and tinkerers, this is a playground. If you’re expecting a polished, GUI-driven experience, look elsewhere. For everyone else: just install bun, fire up adb, and turn your phone into a little AI butler.