Environment Variables

Most users can use the defaults. Set these variables when you need a different state directory, logs, tool set, or device behavior.

Each name below with an AUTO_MOBILE_ spelling is a legacy alias; when a cell lists two names, the first takes precedence when set. Defaults are the behavior with the variable unset. A flag whose row says 1/true accepts 1, true, yes or on, trimmed and case-insensitive; any other value is off. A row that says exact accepts only the values it shows. Unknown numeric values usually fall back to the default unless the row says otherwise.

State and logs

Variable	Use and accepted values	Default
AUTOMOBILE_DATA_DIR, AUTO_MOBILE_DATA_DIR	Base directory for observations, navigation data, CtrlProxy builds, streaming, tool outputs and downloaded tools; filesystem path, relative to the daemon launch directory.	~/.auto-mobile (OS temp fallback if home is unavailable)
AUTOMOBILE_LOG_DIR, AUTO_MOBILE_LOG_DIR	Daemon and client log directory; filesystem path.	$AUTOMOBILE_DATA_DIR/logs
AUTOMOBILE_PLAN_HEALTH_DIR	Each executePlan run writes a JSON health summary (per-tool step latency, failures, skips) here and attaches it as healthSummary in the result; filesystem path.	unset (no summary)
AUTOMOBILE_LOG_FORMAT, AUTO_MOBILE_LOG_FORMAT	Log format: text or newline-delimited json.	text
AUTOMOBILE_LOG_SINK, AUTO_MOBILE_LOG_SINK	Log destination: file, stderr, both.	file
AUTOMOBILE_LOG_LEVEL, AUTO_MOBILE_LOG_LEVEL	Logging threshold: debug, info, warn/warning, error, none/silent.	info
AUTOMOBILE_COORDINATION_DIR, AUTO_MOBILE_COORDINATION_DIR	Shared directory for coordination between AutoMobile agents, including the iOS CtrlProxy bundle cache and signing entitlements; absolute path shared by cooperating agents. Set it when the home directory is read-only.	OS account home .auto-mobile
AUTOMOBILE_ADB_SERVER_COORDINATION_DIR, AUTO_MOBILE_ADB_SERVER_COORDINATION_DIR	Directory where daemons sharing one ADB server record device claims and emulator boots; absolute path, the same for every daemon on that server.	OS account home .auto-mobile/adb-servers
AUTOMOBILE_TOOL_OUTPUTS_DIR, AUTO_MOBILE_TOOL_OUTPUTS_DIR	Directory for large CLI tool-output files; filesystem path. CLI --tool-outputs-dir wins.	data directory tool_outputs
AUTOMOBILE_DEBUG	CLI debug logging; 1/true enables. Also attaches an input-method commit trace to sendKeys results as imeTrace when the device supports it.	off
AUTOMOBILE_DEBUG_PERF	UI performance debug tracking; 1/true enables (also --debug-perf/--ui-perf-debug).	off
AUTOMOBILE_DOCTOR_TIMEOUT_MS	doctor command timeout; positive integer milliseconds. Anything else is ignored with a warning.	5000 ms

For container log collection:

export AUTOMOBILE_DATA_DIR=/var/lib/automobile
export AUTOMOBILE_LOG_FORMAT=json
export AUTOMOBILE_LOG_SINK=stderr
# The container's only daemon uses this data dir; see "Shared-namespace guard" below.
export AUTOMOBILE_ALLOW_SHARED_DAEMON_NAMESPACE=1

AUTOMOBILE_DATA_DIR does not move the SQLite database (AUTOMOBILE_DB_DIR / AUTOMOBILE_DB_PATH), auxiliary daemon sockets (AUTOMOBILE_AUX_SOCKET_DIR), or coordination directories. Set AUTOMOBILE_COORDINATION_DIR to move coordination state. The iOS bundle cache can also be moved with AUTOMOBILE_CTRL_PROXY_IOS_CACHE_DIR.

Daemon namespace

Variable	Use and accepted values	Default
AUTOMOBILE_DAEMON_SOCKET_PATH, AUTO_MOBILE_DAEMON_SOCKET_PATH	Daemon control socket; filesystem path.	/tmp/auto-mobile-daemon-<uid>.sock
AUTOMOBILE_DAEMON_PID_FILE_PATH, AUTO_MOBILE_DAEMON_PID_FILE_PATH	Daemon PID record; filesystem path.	/tmp/auto-mobile-daemon-<uid>.pid
AUTOMOBILE_DAEMON_LOCK_FILE_PATH, AUTO_MOBILE_DAEMON_LOCK_FILE_PATH	Daemon start lock; filesystem path.	/tmp/auto-mobile-daemon-<uid>.lock
AUTOMOBILE_DAEMON_TOKEN_FILE_PATH	Daemon HTTP token file (mode 0600) that clients read to authenticate; filesystem path.	/tmp/auto-mobile-daemon-<uid>.token
AUTOMOBILE_DAEMON_HTTP_TOKEN	Client-side: the daemon HTTP bearer token to send instead of reading the token file.	unset
AUTOMOBILE_MCP_MODERN_ERA	Enable MCP 2026-07-28 envelope requests on the daemon HTTP endpoint; 1/true/yes/on enables.	off
AUTOMOBILE_ELICITATION	off never asks your MCP client which device to use when a call matches several; the call returns the ambiguous_device_target refusal instead. Use it in CI and benchmarks.	on
AUTOMOBILE_AUX_SOCKET_DIR	Directory for auxiliary stream sockets; filesystem path. When set, the control socket, PID and lock files also move to a per-directory name, so a second daemon never touches the default daemon’s files (an explicit AUTOMOBILE_DAEMON_*_PATH still wins).	~/.auto-mobile
AUTOMOBILE_WEBRTC_STREAM_SOCKET_PATH, AUTO_MOBILE_WEBRTC_STREAM_SOCKET_PATH	WebRTC stream socket; filesystem path.	auxiliary socket directory webrtc-stream.sock
AUTOMOBILE_DAEMON_TIMEOUT_MS, AUTO_MOBILE_DAEMON_TIMEOUT_MS	Connection and request timeout; positive integer milliseconds.	120000 ms
AUTOMOBILE_DAEMON_STARTUP_TIMEOUT_MS, AUTO_MOBILE_DAEMON_STARTUP_TIMEOUT_MS	Cold startup budget; positive integer milliseconds, capped at 2147483647.	30000 ms
AUTOMOBILE_DAEMON_EXISTING_REACHABILITY_TIMEOUT_MS, AUTO_MOBILE_DAEMON_EXISTING_REACHABILITY_TIMEOUT_MS	How long to wait for an already-running daemon to answer; positive integer milliseconds, capped at two-thirds of the startup budget.	10000 ms, subject to cap
AUTOMOBILE_DAEMON_DISABLE_HANDSHAKE, AUTO_MOBILE_DAEMON_DISABLE_HANDSHAKE	Disable the version and build handshake with the daemon; 1/true disables.	off; handshake enabled
AUTOMOBILE_DAEMON_STREAM_AUTH	Require session authentication on video and WebRTC sockets; 0, false, no, off disable.	on
AUTOMOBILE_OPEN_LINK_MCP_TIMEOUT_MS, AUTO_MOBILE_OPEN_LINK_MCP_TIMEOUT_MS	openLink time budget; positive integer milliseconds. Set it in the daemon environment (the daemon wins if both client and daemon set it).	90000 ms
AUTOMOBILE_OBSERVE_MCP_TIMEOUT_MS, AUTO_MOBILE_OBSERVE_MCP_TIMEOUT_MS	observe time budget; same rules as openLink.	90000 ms
AUTOMOBILE_RUNNER_READINESS_TIMEOUT_MS, AUTO_MOBILE_RUNNER_READINESS_TIMEOUT_MS	CtrlProxy readiness timeout; integer milliseconds in 1000..120000. CLI flag wins.	30000 ms
AUTOMOBILE_CTRL_PROXY_LEASE_IDLE_MS	Idle time after which the daemon closes a device’s CtrlProxy connection and releases its port forwarding; positive integer milliseconds.	60000 ms
AUTOMOBILE_ALLOW_SHARED_DAEMON_NAMESPACE	Let daemon lifecycle commands and automatic client restarts act on the default daemon while a state directory is relocated (see “Shared-namespace guard”); exact 1 enables.	unset

Set AUTOMOBILE_DAEMON_SOCKET_PATH, AUTOMOBILE_DAEMON_PID_FILE_PATH, and AUTOMOBILE_DAEMON_LOCK_FILE_PATH to distinct absolute paths for each concurrent instance. Relative paths resolve from the daemon launch directory.

Shared-namespace guard

AUTOMOBILE_DATA_DIR, AUTOMOBILE_DB_DIR and AUTOMOBILE_DB_PATH relocate a daemon’s state, but not its socket. With any of them set and neither AUTOMOBILE_AUX_SOCKET_DIR nor a non-default AUTOMOBILE_DAEMON_SOCKET_PATH, --daemon start, stop, restart and release-session refuse with [shared_daemon_namespace], because they would act on the default daemon, which runs on different state. MCP and --cli clients likewise refuse an automatic restart, though they still start a daemon when none is running. AUTOMOBILE_LOG_DIR and the coordination directories do not count.

Set AUTOMOBILE_AUX_SOCKET_DIR to use a separate daemon instead. To act on the default daemon deliberately, pass --allow-shared-namespace after the daemon command, or set AUTOMOBILE_ALLOW_SHARED_DAEMON_NAMESPACE=1 on hosts whose only daemon uses the relocated state, such as a container.

A daemon that exits on its own is replaced with the same port and startup flags. The replacement runs with the new client’s environment, so environment-only settings follow the new client. Run --daemon stop first for a fresh set of flags.

Database

Variable	Use and accepted values	Default
AUTOMOBILE_DB_PATH, AUTO_MOBILE_DB_PATH	Exact SQLite database file; filesystem path. Takes precedence over the DB directory.	~/.auto-mobile/auto-mobile.db
AUTOMOBILE_DB_DIR, AUTO_MOBILE_DB_DIR	Directory containing auto-mobile.db; filesystem path.	~/.auto-mobile
AUTOMOBILE_MIGRATIONS_DIR, AUTO_MOBILE_MIGRATIONS_DIR	Directory of migration modules; filesystem path.	bundled migrations
AUTOMOBILE_MIGRATION_RECOVERY, AUTO_MOBILE_MIGRATION_RECOVERY	Safe migration-history recovery is on unless 0, false, no, off. Only exact 1 also permits a destructive table reset.	safe recovery on; destructive reset off
AUTOMOBILE_MIGRATION_LOCK_TIMEOUT_MS, AUTO_MOBILE_MIGRATION_LOCK_TIMEOUT_MS	How long to wait for the migration lock; positive integer milliseconds.	60000 ms

Relative paths resolve from the daemon’s launch directory. Use a path unique to each concurrent instance:

export AUTOMOBILE_DB_PATH="$PWD/.auto-mobile/auto-mobile.db"

Tool defaults

Variable	Use and accepted values	Default
AUTOMOBILE_ENABLED_TOOLS	Comma-separated tool names to enable; exact, case-sensitive. Unknown names and enable/disable conflicts fail startup.	unset
AUTOMOBILE_DISABLED_TOOLS	Comma-separated tool names to disable; same rules.	unset
AUTOMOBILE_ALWAYS_LOAD_TOOLS	Register optional tool definitions up front; 1/true enables.	off
AUTOMOBILE_OBSERVE_RESULT_INCLUDE_ELEMENTS	Include a flattened elements list in observations; exact 1 enables, or the matching CLI flag.	off
AUTOMOBILE_TOOL_RESULTS_NO_STRUCTURED_CONTENT	Omit structured tool content; exact 1 enables, or the matching CLI flag.	off
AUTOMOBILE_SERVER_INSTRUCTIONS	Return a short usage instructions block when your MCP client connects; 1/true enables.	off
AUTOMOBILE_ACTIONS_DIFF_OBSERVE	Return differential observations after actions; exact 1 enables, or the matching CLI flag.	off
AUTOMOBILE_ACTIONS_NO_OBSERVE	Skip the observation after actions; exact 1 enables, or the matching CLI flag.	off
AUTOMOBILE_ACTIONS_COMPACT_METADATA	Omit unchanged metadata and duplicate matches from action results; exact 0 opts out, 1 opts in. CLI flags win.	on
AUTOMOBILE_EVENT_ALL_MARKERS	Comma-separated event markers that switch capture to all events; --event-all-markers wins.	empty list

export AUTOMOBILE_ENABLED_TOOLS=clipboard,sqlQuery
export AUTOMOBILE_DISABLED_TOOLS=observe

Repeatable --enable-tool and --disable-tool flags override these values, and setToolEnabled choices override startup defaults.

Experimental session broker

Variable	Use and accepted values	Default
AUTOMOBILE_SESSION_BROKER_CONFIG	Path to a JSON configuration file, relative to the daemon launch directory. Enables the experimental session-only broker and supplies its capacity limits and device defaults.	unset; ordinary daemon mode
AUTOMOBILE_SESSION_CONFIG	A session request as inline JSON or a JSON file path. --session-config takes precedence. Cannot be combined with --initial-session-uuid or --no-proxy.	unset; ordinary proxy mode

See the session broker experiment for the file formats.

Session heartbeat timeout

Variable	Use and accepted values	Default
AUTOMOBILE_SESSION_HEARTBEAT_TIMEOUT_MS, AUTO_MOBILE_SESSION_HEARTBEAT_TIMEOUT_MS	How long a session owner may go without a heartbeat before the session is at risk of release; positive integer milliseconds.	4000 ms
AUTOMOBILE_SESSION_HEARTBEAT_CHECK_INTERVAL_MS, AUTO_MOBILE_SESSION_HEARTBEAT_CHECK_INTERVAL_MS	How often the daemon checks for expired heartbeats; positive integer milliseconds.	2000 ms
AUTOMOBILE_SESSION_IDLE_TIMEOUT_MS, AUTO_MOBILE_SESSION_IDLE_TIMEOUT_MS	Idle window after a session’s last control call; positive integer milliseconds. Set it in both the daemon and proxy environments.	120000 ms
AUTOMOBILE_SESSION_HEARTBEAT_INITIAL_GRACE_MS, AUTO_MOBILE_SESSION_HEARTBEAT_INITIAL_GRACE_MS	Grace period before the first heartbeat of a custom-heartbeat session; positive integer milliseconds.	20000 ms
AUTOMOBILE_SESSION_PRE_FIRST_HEARTBEAT_GRACE_MS, AUTO_MOBILE_SESSION_PRE_FIRST_HEARTBEAT_GRACE_MS	Grace period for default sessions that never send a heartbeat; positive integer milliseconds.	5000 ms

export AUTOMOBILE_SESSION_HEARTBEAT_TIMEOUT_MS=20000

A device session is released about 10 s after its owner’s last heartbeat at the default settings. The MCP proxy heartbeats automatically, so a late or lost beat does not lapse the session.

A session also has an idle window (2 minutes by default). Only control calls (taps, swipes, typing and similar) extend it; heartbeats and read-only calls such as observe do not. An agent that acquires a device and then makes no control calls for the whole window loses the session and its device, even while its proxy stays connected. Raise AUTOMOBILE_SESSION_IDLE_TIMEOUT_MS if your workflow only observes for long stretches. See device ownership for which tools count as reads.

Idle time includes host sleep, so a laptop that sleeps longer than the window may lose its session. The next call then fails with bound_session_lost; acquire a new session with getAndroid or getApple.

If the proxy cannot get heartbeats acknowledged after three recovery attempts, it returns a structured error on the next call that uses the session:

• daemon_stalled: the daemon stopped answering. Restart the daemon, then resume by passing the same sessionUuid on a tool call.
• proxy_stalled: the proxy itself stalled and the daemon released the session. Reacquire the device with getAndroid or getApple.

To restart a proxy and keep its sessions, start it with --initial-session-uuid and a stable --liveness-owner-token <token>; use a distinct token per harness. A one-shot --cli call needs no keeper, and --daemon heartbeat on a CLI session is a no-op.

--daemon session-info <session-id> prints a session’s device, platform, lastToolActivityAt, idleReleaseAt and lease liveness, plus stableDeviceId (when known), deviceGeneration (zero initially), and previousDeviceId (after a serial change). --daemon active-sessions includes these binding fields for every held session.

When a retained session is recovered onto a new serial (not when you move it yourself with setActiveDevice or an explicit bind), its proxy sends an MCP logging notification at level info, logger auto-mobile.liveness, with data { code: "session_device_rebound", sessionUuid, previousDeviceId, deviceId, stableDeviceId?, avdName?, generation }. avdName is the Android AVD name when known. A client logging threshold above info suppresses this notification. Subsequent admitted daemon tool results also carry _meta["automobile/sessionDevice"] = { sessionUuid, deviceId, stableDeviceId?, generation, previousDeviceId }; this field is absent before the first serial change. Compare sessionUuid and stableDeviceId across results to verify the same session and device image, with the new deviceId and an incremented generation. Generations count serial changes within one daemon lifetime and restart at zero after a daemon restart. See device-loss retry guidance.

CLI session lifetime

Variable	Use and accepted values	Default
AUTOMOBILE_CLI_SESSION_IDLE_TIMEOUT_MS, AUTO_MOBILE_CLI_SESSION_IDLE_TIMEOUT_MS	Idle timeout for sessions held from --cli; integer milliseconds of at least 120000 (smaller or non-numeric values are ignored with a warning), capped at one hour.	120000 ms

Each --cli call is its own process and cannot send heartbeats, so a session used from --cli is released after this much time since its last --cli tool call:

export AUTOMOBILE_CLI_SESSION_IDLE_TIMEOUT_MS=600000

The value is read per invocation, so a change applies on the next call with no daemon restart.

Automatic observation screenshots

Variable	Use and accepted values	Default
AUTOMOBILE_ACTION_OBSERVATION_SKIP_SCREENSHOT	Skip the automatic screenshot after actions; false or 0 takes a final screenshot.	skip
AUTOMOBILE_OBSERVE_WAIT_FOR_SKIP_SCREENSHOT	Skip the final observe.waitFor screenshot; false or 0 enables it. Intermediate polls still skip.	skip
AUTOMOBILE_OBSERVE_SETTLED_SCREENSHOT	Screenshot mode: true/1 waits for a fresh screenshot that matches the observation (settled); any other set value selects async. A per-call mode wins.	unset; async
AUTOMOBILE_MAX_OBSERVATION_AGE_MS	How old a cached view hierarchy may be before it is refreshed; positive integer milliseconds.	5000 ms

Explicit observe calls keep their own screenshot behavior. Observations taken automatically after an action, or while resolving observe.waitFor, skip screenshots by default. To get one screenshot from the final result:

export AUTOMOBILE_ACTION_OBSERVATION_SKIP_SCREENSHOT=false
export AUTOMOBILE_OBSERVE_WAIT_FOR_SKIP_SCREENSHOT=false

Settled mode costs roughly 170 ms per Android observation and 20-70 ms per iOS observation over async. When only one call needs a matching screenshot, pass observe({ screenshot: "settled" }) instead of setting the variable.

Screenshot retention

Variable	Use and accepted values	Default
AUTOMOBILE_SCREENSHOT_CACHE_MB	Base screenshot cache capacity; positive MiB.	128 MiB
AUTOMOBILE_SCREENSHOT_CACHE_PER_DEVICE_MB	Capacity per active device; positive MiB.	64 MiB
AUTOMOBILE_SCREENSHOT_CACHE_CEILING_MB	Host cache ceiling; positive MiB, never lowers the base. Frames inside their 10-minute guarantee grow the cache up to it.	2048 MiB
AUTOMOBILE_SCREENSHOT_KEEP_PER_DEVICE	Newest screenshots per device evicted only as a last resort; nonnegative integer, 0 disables fairness.	3

Capacity is the larger of the base and active devices × per-device capacity, limited by the ceiling (or the base if larger). A device is active while any of its screenshots has an unexpired retention guarantee; an incoming capture also counts. Files without a device identity do not increase capacity. Under pressure, the byte capacity stays fixed for the eviction pass and is recalculated on the next admission. Each device’s newest screenshots are evicted last, with the incoming capture counting toward its device’s allowance and files already being removed excluded from that allowance. Capture is still admitted if nothing fits.

Device behavior

Android rebind command and iOS keep-booted reset budgets scale by the one-minute host load per CPU core when it exceeds 1, up to the configured maximum. Unknown load uses the base budget. Setting MAX equal to the base disables scaling. A budget timeout allows one retry with up to twice the first budget, bounded by MAX. iOS waits for the abandoned step to settle before retrying; exhausted budgets are reported as budget-driven fallback reasons.

Variable	Use and accepted values	Default
AUTOMOBILE_CTRL_PROXY_REBIND_WRITE_TIMEOUT_MS	Base timeout for each Android accessibility rebind command. Positive integer milliseconds.	5000 ms
AUTOMOBILE_CTRL_PROXY_REBIND_WRITE_TIMEOUT_MAX_MS	Ceiling for Android accessibility rebind command timeouts. Positive integer milliseconds.	30000 ms
AUTOMOBILE_IOS_RESET_STEP_BUDGET_MS	Base budget for each iOS keep-booted reset step and health probe. Positive integer milliseconds.	30000 ms
AUTOMOBILE_IOS_RESET_STEP_BUDGET_MAX_MS	Ceiling for iOS keep-booted reset step and health probe budgets. Positive integer milliseconds.	120000 ms
AUTOMOBILE_IOS_WARMUP_DEVICES	Comma-separated simulator UDIDs that get startup warm-up and observation streams without a session.	empty list
AUTOMOBILE_ANDROID_APPEARANCE_SYNC_DEVICES	Comma-separated Android serials that get appearance sync without a session.	empty list
AUTOMOBILE_ANDROID_OBSERVATION_STREAM_DEVICES	Comma-separated Android serials that get observation streams without a session.	empty list
AUTOMOBILE_APPEARANCE_SYNC	Sync the host’s light/dark appearance to devices; 0, false, off, no disable.	on
AUTOMOBILE_ALLOW_DEVICE_CREATE	Permit emulator and simulator creation; 1/true enables. An explicit --create-if-missing flag wins.	off
AUTOMOBILE_DEVICE_RECOVERY_ON_LOSS, AUTO_MOBILE_DEVICE_RECOVERY_ON_LOSS	Exact 0 disables session continuity; exact 1 also lets eligible Android emulators be restarted. Other values warn and disable restart.	continuity on; restart off
AUTOMOBILE_ANDROID_REBOOT_ON_DEATH, AUTO_MOBILE_ANDROID_REBOOT_ON_DEATH	Deprecated fallback for AUTOMOBILE_DEVICE_RECOVERY_ON_LOSS; same values.	unset
AUTOMOBILE_DEVICE_RECOVERY_MAX_ATTEMPTS, AUTO_MOBILE_DEVICE_RECOVERY_MAX_ATTEMPTS	Emulator restarts allowed per window; integer 1..10.	2
AUTOMOBILE_DEVICE_RECOVERY_WINDOW_MS, AUTO_MOBILE_DEVICE_RECOVERY_WINDOW_MS	Window for the restart budget; positive integer milliseconds.	900000 ms
AUTOMOBILE_DEVICE_POOL_MATCHING, AUTO_MOBILE_DEVICE_POOL_MATCHING	Which matching device to pick: exact LATEST, RANDOM, MINIMUM.	LATEST
AUTOMOBILE_DEVICE_POOL_AUTOLOCK, AUTO_MOBILE_DEVICE_POOL_AUTOLOCK	Require a session UUID for an acquired device and release it when idle; exact 1 enables.	off
AUTOMOBILE_DEVICE_POOL_TIMEOUT, AUTO_MOBILE_DEVICE_POOL_TIMEOUT	Autolock idle timeout in seconds; positive integer.	60 seconds
AUTOMOBILE_EMULATOR_HEADLESS	Exact true forces headless, false forces a window; other values detect.	headless on macOS and Linux without a display; otherwise windowed
AUTOMOBILE_EMULATOR_AUDIO	Exact false launches with -no-audio, which disables emulator audio, so audio tests cannot pass. See Headless host audio setup.	audio on
AUTOMOBILE_EMULATOR_ARGS	Extra emulator arguments as a JSON array of nonempty strings; malformed values fail.	empty array
AUTOMOBILE_EMULATOR_EXCLUDED_CONSOLE_PORTS	Even emulator console ports (5554-5682) or emulator-<port> serials AutoMobile must not use, comma- or whitespace-separated. A blank value allows all.	5554 when a session broker config is set; otherwise empty
AUTOMOBILE_BUNDLETOOL_JAR	bundletool-all jar, run with java, for installApp of .aab/.apks; otherwise bundletool on PATH. Never downloaded.	unset
AUTOMOBILE_IOS_HEADLESS	On macOS, exact true/1 runs headless and any other set value shows a window. Non-macOS is always headless.	detect a graphical login session
AUTOMOBILE_BOOT_CAPACITY_GATE	Boot limit check for emulator and simulator cold boots; exact 0 disables it on both platforms. See Boot capacity.	on
AUTOMOBILE_IOS_TEMPLATE_CLONE	Clone new iOS simulators from settled templates; off by default until clone isolation (#15327) is device-verified, 1/true opts in. No template yet: normal create.	false
AUTOMOBILE_IOS_PREBOOT_LEAN_PROFILE	New iOS simulators: none, minimal, or catalog-cpu; none opts out; unknown values use minimal. Explicit resources override the profile.	minimal
AUTOMOBILE_IOS_SIM_CAPACITY_GATE	iOS-only override of the gate above: exact 0 disables, exact 1 enables.	unset (follows the shared switch)
AUTOMOBILE_ANDROID_MAX_BOOTED	Cap on concurrently booted Android emulators; positive integer. Invalid values are ignored with a warning.	derived from host RAM and cores, at least 1
AUTOMOBILE_ANDROID_BOOT_BUDGET_VCPUS	configured sizes the Android boot limit with the vCPU count the AVD about to boot resolved to (hardware-qemu.ini, 4 on AVDs AutoMobile creates) instead of two cores per emulator. Any other value keeps two.	fixed (two cores per emulator)
AUTOMOBILE_IOS_SIM_BOOT_CONCURRENCY	Concurrent iOS simulator boot bursts; positive integer. Extra boots queue in FIFO order. Invalid values warn and use the derived limit.	ceil(host cores / 13), at least 2
AUTOMOBILE_IOS_SIM_MAX_BOOTED	Cap on concurrently booted iOS simulators; positive integer. Invalid values are ignored with a warning.	derived from 60% of host RAM over measured footprint and CPU cost
AUTOMOBILE_WORK_PROFILE_POLL_INTERVAL_MS	Android work-profile package polling interval; positive integer milliseconds.	5000 ms

By default the daemon only does background work (iOS warm-up, Android appearance sync, observation streams) for devices that have a session. List devices in AUTOMOBILE_IOS_WARMUP_DEVICES, AUTOMOBILE_ANDROID_APPEARANCE_SYNC_DEVICES or AUTOMOBILE_ANDROID_OBSERVATION_STREAM_DEVICES to include session-less devices, for example when only an IDE is attached:

export AUTOMOBILE_IOS_WARMUP_DEVICES=00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000001
export AUTOMOBILE_ANDROID_APPEARANCE_SYNC_DEVICES=emulator-5554
export AUTOMOBILE_ANDROID_OBSERVATION_STREAM_DEVICES=emulator-5554

AutoMobile does not create an emulator or simulator by default. To allow it:

export AUTOMOBILE_ALLOW_DEVICE_CREATE=1
auto-mobile --cli startDevice --platform ios --create-if-missing

An explicit --create-if-missing false disables creation even when the variable is set. Remove created devices with xcrun simctl delete <udid> or avdmanager delete avd -n <name>.

Invalid AUTOMOBILE_EMULATOR_EXCLUDED_CONSOLE_PORTS entries fail at launch.

Session continuity is on by default for sessions bound to an Android emulator or iOS simulator. If the device connection disappears, AutoMobile keeps the session and waits for the same AVD or simulator UDID to come back. To turn that off:

export AUTOMOBILE_DEVICE_RECOVERY_ON_LOSS=0

AUTOMOBILE_DEVICE_RECOVERY_ON_LOSS=1 additionally restarts an Android emulator that AutoMobile started with startDevice or getAndroid. Physical devices, emulators started outside AutoMobile, and iOS simulators are never restarted; they are only waited for. Restarts are limited by AUTOMOBILE_DEVICE_RECOVERY_MAX_ATTEMPTS within AUTOMOBILE_DEVICE_RECOVERY_WINDOW_MS.

Ambient Android and OS variables

Not AutoMobile-specific; these configure platform toolchains and the host.

Variable	Use	Default
ANDROID_HOME, ANDROID_SDK_ROOT, ANDROID_SDK_HOME	Android SDK root used to find the emulator; the first that is set and exists wins.	unset
HOME	POSIX home directory; used to find the default Android SDK.	unset
USERPROFILE	Windows home directory, used when HOME is unset or empty.	unset
PATH	Executable search path; reported in emulator-not-found diagnostics.	unset
JAVA_HOME	Java installation checked by doctor; its bin/java runs AUTOMOBILE_BUNDLETOOL_JAR.	unset
DEVELOPER_DIR	Xcode developer directory used for the simulator profile cache.	xcode-select selection
DISPLAY, WAYLAND_DISPLAY	Linux display servers; when neither is set, emulators launch with -no-window.	unset
USER, LOGNAME	POSIX account name (USER first), used to find the running emulator’s advertisement directory.	unset
XDG_RUNTIME_DIR	Linux per-user runtime directory searched for running emulators.	unset
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY	Anthropic API key used by vision features when none is configured explicitly.	unset
ANDROID_USER_HOME, ANDROID_AVD_HOME, ANDROID_EMULATOR_HOME	Android user, AVD and emulator home overrides used to locate AVD definitions.	unset
ComSpec, COMSPEC	Windows command interpreter used to run .bat Android tools (ComSpec first).	cmd.exe
LOCALAPPDATA	Windows local app data directory used to find the default Android SDK.	unset
Path	Windows spelling of PATH, used when PATH is unset.	unset
PATHEXT	Windows executable extensions used to locate bunx; only .com and .exe count.	.COM;.EXE
USERNAME	Windows account name, used in the default daemon state-file names.	unset
ADB_SERVER_SOCKET, ANDROID_ADB_SERVER_ADDRESS, ANDROID_ADB_SERVER_PORT	The variables adb itself reads. AutoMobile uses them to identify the ADB server so daemons sharing one share device claims. The socket spec wins, then address and port.	localhost:5037
GIT_DIR, GIT_WORK_TREE, GIT_COMMON_DIR	The variables git itself reads; a source build uses them to stamp its version.	unset
CTRL_PROXY_IOS_BUNDLE_ID, CTRL_PROXY_IOS_TIMEOUT	Target app bundle id and runner lifetime in seconds, passed to the iOS CtrlProxy runner.	unset, 86400
MCP_SERVER_VERSION	Override the reported MCP server version.	unset
npm_package_version	Package version exported by npm; used only when the manifest version is unavailable.	unset
DEBUG_ADB_EXEC	Any value logs adb execution with stack traces.	unset
EMULATOR_POLLING_INTERVAL_MS	Emulator readiness polling interval in milliseconds; minimum 100.	500

Boot capacity

Emulator and simulator cold boots are checked against host capacity by default. Android and iOS each have a limit: the smaller of the host RAM budget divided by the per-device memory, and the CPU budget, at least 1. Android budgets half the RAM and one emulator per 2 cores; iOS budgets 60% of RAM divided by the measured per-simulator memory footprint (not summed RSS) and half the cores at 0.1 core per simulator, see iOS Simulator fleet cost. Every booted device of that platform counts, including ones started outside AutoMobile. A simulator inventory that cannot be read refuses the boot with the retryable discovery_incomplete.

A boot over the limit is refused at once with a retryable error whose retryAfterMs (5 seconds) says when to try again. When emulators AutoMobile did not start occupy capacity, the message lists them and externalDevices carries their serials:

{
  "success": false,
  "error": "Refused to boot: no emulator capacity (code capacity_exhausted, retryable; retry after 5000ms): 2 emulator(s) booted; limit is 2 (derived). 1 of them were not started by AutoMobile but still count toward the limit: emulator-5554. Shut one down, raise the limit with AUTOMOBILE_ANDROID_MAX_BOOTED or disable the gate with AUTOMOBILE_BOOT_CAPACITY_GATE=0.",
  "code": "capacity_exhausted",
  "retryable": true,
  "retryAfterMs": 5000,
  "limit": 2,
  "booted": 2,
  "platform": "android",
  "externalDevices": ["emulator-5554"]
}

For iOS refusals, heldDevices lists simulators owned by an AutoMobile session or broker binding. They count toward the limit, but are not strays: release their session or binding first. See device ownership.

Adopting an emulator or simulator that is already running is never refused. listDevices reports capacity per platform as { limit, booted, inFlight }.

The Android limit is shared by every daemon using the same ADB server on one host. Daemons given different AUTOMOBILE_ADB_SERVER_COORDINATION_DIR values do not see each other’s boots, so they can exceed the limit; give each its own ADB server as well to isolate their limits.

export AUTOMOBILE_ANDROID_MAX_BOOTED=3     # fixed Android limit
export AUTOMOBILE_IOS_SIM_MAX_BOOTED=2     # fixed iOS limit
export AUTOMOBILE_BOOT_CAPACITY_GATE=0     # turn the gate off on both platforms
export AUTOMOBILE_IOS_SIM_CAPACITY_GATE=0  # turn it off for iOS only

Shared ADB server

Variable	Use and accepted values	Default
AUTOMOBILE_MANAGED_ADB_SERVER, AUTO_MOBILE_MANAGED_ADB_SERVER	Declare that this process owns the ADB server so a clean shutdown stops it; 1/true enables.	off

By default AutoMobile leaves the local ADB server running. Set AUTOMOBILE_MANAGED_ADB_SERVER=1 only when this process owns the server; a clean shutdown then stops it after active device sessions are released.

Port allocation

Variable	Use and accepted values	Default
AUTOMOBILE_PORT_RANGE_START, AUTO_MOBILE_PORT_RANGE_START	First CtrlProxy host port; positive integer.	8765
AUTOMOBILE_PORT_RANGE_END, AUTO_MOBILE_PORT_RANGE_END	Last CtrlProxy host port (inclusive), at least the start. Takes precedence over size; invalid values fall back to 100 ports.	unset
AUTOMOBILE_PORT_RANGE_SIZE, AUTO_MOBILE_PORT_RANGE_SIZE	Number of CtrlProxy host ports; positive integer, used only without an end.	100

Assets and CtrlProxy

Variable	Use and accepted values	Default
AUTOMOBILE_VERSION	Release version of downloaded assets; unset, empty or latest uses the newest release. Unknown pins fail integrity checks.	newest release
AUTOMOBILE_ASSET_BASE_URL	Release asset mirror; absolute HTTPS URL without query or fragment.	https://github.com/kaeawc/auto-mobile/releases/download
AUTOMOBILE_PROTOTYPE_CUSTOM_SHADERS	Enable Android prototype AGSL shaders with exactly 1; requires a device advertising prototype_custom_shaders_v1.	off
AUTOMOBILE_ALLOW_INSECURE_ASSET_URL	Permit plaintext HTTP asset URLs; 1/true enables.	off
AUTOMOBILE_CTRL_PROXY_APK_PATH	Use a local Android CtrlProxy APK instead of the released one; filesystem path. Skips the published checksum check.	released/cached APK
AUTOMOBILE_SKIP_ACCESSIBILITY_CHECKSUM, AUTO_MOBILE_ACCESSIBILITY_SERVICE_SHA_SKIP_CHECK	Skip Android APK checksum checks; 1/true enables.	off
AUTOMOBILE_SKIP_ACCESSIBILITY_DOWNLOAD_IF_INSTALLED	Accept an already-installed APK without checking it during auto-setup and doctor; 1/true enables. Device readiness still upgrades a mismatched APK.	off
AUTOMOBILE_SKIP_CTRL_PROXY_DOWNLOAD	Use local CtrlProxy sources instead of downloading; 1/true enables.	off
AUTOMOBILE_IOS_PROTOTYPE_AGENT	Local iOS simulator prototype-agent dylib; filesystem path that must exist.	local build, then verified release download
AUTOMOBILE_SKIP_IOS_PROTOTYPE_AGENT_DOWNLOAD	Do not download the prototype-agent dylib when no verified cached copy exists; 1/true enables.	off
AUTOMOBILE_IOS_PROTOTYPE_VIEWER	Local viewer template; app directory containing Info.plist, relative to the daemon launch directory. Invalid values fail.	local build, then verified release download
AUTOMOBILE_SKIP_IOS_PROTOTYPE_VIEWER_DOWNLOAD	Do not download the viewer template when no verified cache exists; 1/true enables.	off
AUTOMOBILE_CTRLPROXY_VERBOSE	Verbose iOS CtrlProxy output; 1/true enables.	off
AUTOMOBILE_CTRL_PROXY_HEALTH_MAX_ATTEMPTS, AUTO_MOBILE_CTRL_PROXY_HEALTH_MAX_ATTEMPTS	iOS runner health poll attempts; positive integer.	60
AUTOMOBILE_IOS_RUNNER_LAUNCH_CONCURRENCY	Maximum concurrent iOS runner launches per daemon; positive integer. Invalid values use the default.	2
AUTOMOBILE_IPROXY_START_TIMEOUT_MS, AUTO_MOBILE_IPROXY_START_TIMEOUT_MS	iOS USB iproxy tunnel startup timeout; positive integer milliseconds.	5000 ms
AUTOMOBILE_CWEBP_PATH	Trusted cwebp executable; filesystem path. An invalid executable fails.	PATH, bundled or downloaded libwebp
AUTOMOBILE_DWEBP_PATH	Trusted dwebp executable; filesystem path. An invalid executable fails.	PATH, bundled or downloaded libwebp
AUTOMOBILE_FFMPEG	ffmpeg executable path or name.	ffmpeg on PATH

To keep an installed CtrlProxy APK through device readiness, set AUTOMOBILE_SKIP_CTRL_PROXY_DOWNLOAD=1 together with AUTOMOBILE_SKIP_ACCESSIBILITY_CHECKSUM=1.

Queued iOS runner launches

When simultaneous cold iOS observe calls exceed AUTOMOBILE_IOS_RUNNER_LAUNCH_CONCURRENCY, a read can reach its bounded budget while its runner launch is queued or already running. It returns ok: true, no hierarchy, and freshness with isFresh: false and unavailableReason: "runner_launch_queued". The detail names its queue position when queued, or says the runner is still starting in the background. Any captured screenshot is kept. The start continues for up to 60 seconds from the moment its launch leaves the queue (waiting in the queue is bounded separately, at 5 minutes), and a retry joins that same start. The same typing applies to a readiness: none observe whose read lapses with a timeout, setup failure, or recovery reason while the device’s launch is queued or holding a launch slot (#15291). Retry the observe shortly.

iOS builds and signing

Variable	Use and accepted values	Default
AUTOMOBILE_PROJECT_ROOT	Root used by local iOS CtrlProxy source builds; filesystem path.	process working directory
AUTOMOBILE_CTRL_PROXY_IOS_DERIVED_DATA	Derived-data root for local iOS CtrlProxy builds; filesystem path.	data directory derived-data
AUTOMOBILE_TVOS_RUNNER_XCTESTRUN	Prebuilt tvOS simulator runner xctestrun path used by startDevice; its containing directory must be writable.	discovered or built from a source checkout; required in the published package
AUTOMOBILE_WATCH_RUNNER_XCTESTRUN	Prebuilt watchOS simulator runner xctestrun path used by startDevice; its containing directory must be writable.	discovered or built from a source checkout; required in the published package
AUTOMOBILE_CTRL_PROXY_IOS_CACHE_DIR	iOS CtrlProxy bundle cache; filesystem path.	coordination directory ctrl-proxy-ios
AUTOMOBILE_CTRL_PROXY_IOS_BUNDLE_URL	Custom iOS bundle download URL; HTTPS unless the insecure asset URL opt-in is set.	release bundle URL
AUTOMOBILE_CTRL_PROXY_IOS_IPA_PATH	Local iOS archive or bundle; filesystem path. Wins over the bundle-path override.	released bundle
AUTOMOBILE_CTRL_PROXY_IOS_BUNDLE_PATH	Local iOS runner bundle or archive; filesystem path.	released bundle
AUTOMOBILE_CTRL_PROXY_IOS_RUNNER_SHA256	Expected 64-character hex SHA256 of a local or custom runner executable.	release checksum
AUTOMOBILE_CTRL_PROXY_IOS_RUNNER_SHA256_TARGET	Which executable the checksum applies to: exact runner or xctest.	release target
AUTOMOBILE_CTRL_PROXY_IOS_USE_LOCAL_BUILD	Pin the hash of a local build after it is built, and reverify it before launch; 1/true enables.	off
AUTOMOBILE_IOS_CTRL_PROXY_APP_HASH	Expected device app bundle hash; the device-specific variable wins.	released device app hash
AUTOMOBILE_IOS_CTRL_PROXY_APP_HASH_DEVICE	Expected device app bundle hash.	generic override or released hash
AUTOMOBILE_IOS_CTRL_PROXY_APP_HASH_SIMULATOR	Expected simulator app bundle hash.	unset; not verified
AUTOMOBILE_IOS_SKIP_CTRL_PROXY_APP_HASH	Skip iOS app bundle hash checks; 1/true enables.	off
AUTOMOBILE_IOS_HELPER_REQUIRE_CODESIGN	Make codesign, Gatekeeper or Team ID failures fatal; 1/true enables.	off; failures warn
AUTOMOBILE_IOS_HELPER_TEAM_ID	Apple Team ID to verify on the downloaded runner bundle.	unset
AUTOMOBILE_IOS_TEAM_IDS	Comma-separated signing Team IDs; wins over the single Team ID.	auto-detected
AUTOMOBILE_IOS_TEAM_ID	Single signing Team ID (a comma-separated list also works).	auto-detected
AUTOMOBILE_IOS_PROFILE_UUID	Provisioning profile UUID; wins over name and specifier.	automatic discovery
AUTOMOBILE_IOS_PROFILE_NAME	Provisioning profile name; wins over specifier.	automatic discovery
AUTOMOBILE_IOS_PROFILE_SPECIFIER	Provisioning profile specifier.	automatic discovery
AUTOMOBILE_IOS_CODE_SIGN_IDENTITY	Signing identity.	auto-detected
AUTOMOBILE_IOS_CODE_SIGN_ENTITLEMENTS_PATH	Entitlements file for signing; filesystem path.	automatic discovery

Video recording and capture

Variable	Use and accepted values	Default
AUTOMOBILE_VIDEO_QUALITY_PRESET, AUTO_MOBILE_VIDEO_QUALITY_PRESET	Recording preset: exact low, medium, high. CLI and per-call options win.	low
AUTOMOBILE_VIDEO_TARGET_BITRATE_KBPS, AUTO_MOBILE_VIDEO_TARGET_BITRATE_KBPS	Target bitrate in kbps; positive integer. Invalid values warn and are ignored. The throughput cap may lower it.	1000 kbps
AUTOMOBILE_VIDEO_MAX_THROUGHPUT_MBPS, AUTO_MOBILE_VIDEO_MAX_THROUGHPUT_MBPS	Recording throughput cap in Mbps; positive number. Invalid values warn and are ignored.	5 Mbps
AUTOMOBILE_VIDEO_FPS, AUTO_MOBILE_VIDEO_FPS	Frames per second; positive integer. The device may clamp it.	15 fps
AUTOMOBILE_VIDEO_MAX_ARCHIVE_MB, AUTO_MOBILE_VIDEO_MAX_ARCHIVE_MB	Recording archive size limit in MB; positive number.	100 MB
AUTOMOBILE_VIDEO_FORMAT, AUTO_MOBILE_VIDEO_FORMAT	Exact mp4; other values warn and are ignored.	mp4
AUTOMOBILE_VIDEO_RETENTION_DAYS, AUTO_MOBILE_VIDEO_RETENTION_DAYS	Days to keep recordings; nonnegative number, 0 disables age expiry.	7 days
AUTOMOBILE_VIDEO_RETENTION_SWEEP_MINUTES, AUTO_MOBILE_VIDEO_RETENTION_SWEEP_MINUTES	How often expired recordings are removed, in minutes; positive number.	60 minutes
AUTOMOBILE_VIDEO_INPROGRESS_CHECK_SECONDS, AUTO_MOBILE_VIDEO_INPROGRESS_CHECK_SECONDS	How often an active recording’s size is checked, in seconds; positive number.	15 seconds
AUTOMOBILE_ANDROID_VIDEO_USE_FFMPEG_PIPE	Record Android video by piping screenrecord through ffmpeg; 1/true enables.	off
AUTOMOBILE_VIDEO_SERVER_JAR	Local Android video encoder JAR; filesystem path, used only if it exists.	cached/released JAR, then source build
AUTOMOBILE_REQUIRE_VIDEO_SERVER	Fail when the video encoder JAR is unavailable instead of degrading; 1/true enables.	off
AUTOMOBILE_SKIP_VIDEO_SERVER_DOWNLOAD	Resolve the video encoder JAR locally only; 1/true enables.	off
AUTOMOBILE_IOS_SCREEN_CAPTURE_HELPER, AUTO_MOBILE_IOS_SCREEN_CAPTURE_HELPER	Local screen-capture helper executable; filesystem path.	released helper
AUTOMOBILE_IOS_AUDIO_LOOPBACK_HELPER	Local audio-loopback helper executable for iOS Simulator injectAudioInput and captureAudio; filesystem path.	unset: simulator audio unavailable
AUTOMOBILE_NETWORK_FILTER_APP_PATH	Local signed Network Filter .app for auto-mobile --ios-network-filter install.	release download
AUTOMOBILE_NETWORK_FILTER_TEAM_ID	Apple Team ID the Network Filter app and its provider must both be signed by.	shared Developer ID team required
AUTOMOBILE_IOS_SIMULATOR_WINDOW_TIMEOUT_MS	How long to wait to find the simulator window for capture; positive integer milliseconds.	2000 ms

WebRTC

Variable	Use and accepted values	Default
AUTOMOBILE_WEBRTC_WHIP_ENDPOINT	WHIP ingest URL; HTTPS, or loopback HTTP. Remote HTTP requires the insecure-WHIP opt-in. Per-call options win.	unset; required to stream
AUTOMOBILE_WEBRTC_WHIP_TOKEN	Bearer token for WHIP ingest.	unset
AUTOMOBILE_WEBRTC_ICE_SERVERS	JSON array of RTCIceServer objects (urls, optional username/credential) or comma-separated STUN/TURN URLs.	stun:stun.l.google.com:19302
AUTOMOBILE_WEBRTC_BITRATE_KBPS	Encoder bitrate in kbps; positive number.	encoder/source default
AUTOMOBILE_WEBRTC_MAX_SIZE	Maximum frame size as WIDTHxHEIGHT; positive even integers within the H.264 Level 4.2 limit.	source dimensions
AUTOMOBILE_WEBRTC_IOS_SIMULATOR_FPS	iOS simulator capture rate; integer 5..60.	15 fps
AUTOMOBILE_WEBRTC_ANDROID_FPS	Android capture rate; integer 1..60.	30 fps
AUTOMOBILE_WEBRTC_TRICKLE_ICE	Use WHIP PATCH trickle ICE; 1, true, yes, on enable.	off
AUTOMOBILE_WEBRTC_AUDIO	Add an audio track; 1, true, yes, on enable.	off
AUTOMOBILE_WEBRTC_ALLOW_INSECURE_WHIP	Permit non-loopback HTTP and arbitrary per-call WHIP overrides; 1, true, yes, on enable.	off
AUTOMOBILE_WEBRTC_WHIP_ALLOWED_ORIGINS	Comma-separated origins or bare host[:port] allowed for per-call WHIP overrides. Loopback and the configured WHIP origin are always allowed.	empty

Navigation retention

Variable	Use and accepted values	Default
AUTOMOBILE_NAV_RETENTION_SCREENSHOT_TTL_MS	How long navigation screenshots are kept; positive integer milliseconds.	604800000 ms (7 days)
AUTOMOBILE_NAV_RETENTION_STRUCTURE_TTL_MS	How long navigation structure is kept; positive integer milliseconds.	7776000000 ms (90 days)
AUTOMOBILE_NAV_RETENTION_PER_APP_MAX_OBSERVATIONS	Observation cap per app; positive integer.	50000
AUTOMOBILE_NAV_RETENTION_GLOBAL_MAX_OBSERVATIONS	Observation cap across all apps; positive integer.	500000
AUTOMOBILE_NAV_RETENTION_EVICTION_CHUNK_SIZE	Rows removed per cleanup batch; positive integer, at most 10000.	5000
AUTOMOBILE_NAV_RETENTION_INTERVAL_MS	How often cleanup runs; positive integer milliseconds, at most 2147483647.	21600000 ms (6 hours)

Performance diagnostics

Variable	Use and accepted values	Default
AUTOMOBILE_OBSERVE_PERF_SNAPSHOT, AUTO_MOBILE_OBSERVE_PERF_SNAPSHOT	Attach a rolling performance snapshot to observe results; 1/true enables.	off
AUTOMOBILE_OBSERVE_PERF_WINDOW_MS, AUTO_MOBILE_OBSERVE_PERF_WINDOW_MS	Snapshot window in milliseconds, clamped to 1000..30000; invalid values fall back.	5000 ms
AUTOMOBILE_DISABLE_PERF_AUDIT	Disable the UI performance audit; 1/true disables.	off
AUTOMOBILE_TOUCH_LATENCY_SAMPLING	Sample synthetic tap latency; 1/true enables.	off
AUTOMOBILE_TRACE_PROCESSOR	Perfetto trace_processor_shell used to summarize Android performanceTrace traces; path or command name.	trace_processor_shell on PATH

Testing and internal

These are read by AutoMobile but are meant for testing and diagnostics, not normal use.

Variable	Use	Default
AUTOMOBILE_HARNESS_PRIVATE_DAEMON	Marks a daemon as a short-lived private test daemon: 1 arms the orphan watchdog, 0 exempts it.	unset
AUTOMOBILE_DAEMON_LAUNCHER_PID	Pid of the process that launched a private test daemon, for the orphan watchdog.	parent pid
AUTOMOBILE_PRIVATE_DAEMON_ORPHAN_IDLE_MS	Idle time after which an orphaned private test daemon exits; milliseconds, 0 disables.	900000 ms
AUTOMOBILE_IOS_CTRLPROXY_RECORD_DIR	Record iOS CtrlProxy requests and responses as JSON in this directory; filesystem path.	off
AUTOMOBILE_IOS_TAP_STRATEGY	Diagnostic iOS tap strategy, at debug log level only: legacy, appRelative, appRelativeObserved, displayTargeted, displayTargetedObserved.	runner default
AUTOMOBILE_UNIT_TEST_ISOLATED_DATA_DIR	Data directory isolated by the unit-test preload.	unset
CI, GITHUB_ACTIONS	Both exactly true on a GitHub Actions runner, where AutoMobile owns the iOS simulator lifecycle.	unset
GITHUB_WORKSPACE	GitHub Actions checkout directory, searched for schemas/test-plan.schema.json.	unset
NODE_ENV	Exact test arms the test-only guards and test defaults.	unset

Do not use AUTOMOBILE_DB_PATH=:memory: in production. Tests may allow it by also setting AUTOMOBILE_ALLOW_IN_MEMORY_DB to 1, true or yes.

When template cloning is enabled (opt in with AUTOMOBILE_IOS_TEMPLATE_CLONE=1; it is off by default), the first request uses normal creation and starts a background template build. Later requests can clone a settled, shut-down template for the same runtime, device type and preboot profile. Template builds consume a boot capacity slot and may take several minutes.

Use auto-mobile --ios-templates build --runtime <identifier> --device-type <identifier> to build one explicitly. Use auto-mobile --ios-templates clean --all to remove templates, or replace --all with --runtime <identifier> --device-type <identifier> to select one. The selected preboot profile comes from AUTOMOBILE_IOS_PREBOOT_LEAN_PROFILE. Cleanup refuses active builds unless --force is supplied. These commands require macOS; explicit maintenance works independently of the cloning flag. A failed or deferred build exits with status 1; successful build and cleanup exit 0.