aim

A better interface for adb. Same functionality, better UX.

Why?

Because adb output is hard to read and commands are inconsistent. aim makes common tasks easier without changing how ADB works.

Install

cargo install --path .

Requirements: Rust 1.70+, ADB in PATH

Command Comparison

Task	aim	adb
List devices	aim ls	adb devices -l
Get property	aim getprop ro.product.model	adb shell getprop ro.product.model
Get all properties	aim getprop	adb shell getprop
Pattern match props	aim getprop "ro.product.*"	adb shell getprop | grep ro.product
Screenshot	aim screenshot	adb exec-out screencap -p > screen.png
Screenshot (specific file)	aim screenshot -o photo.png	adb exec-out screencap -p > photo.png
Screen record	aim screenrecord	adb shell screenrecord /sdcard/video.mp4 && adb pull /sdcard/video.mp4
Screen record (30s)	aim screenrecord -t 30	adb shell screenrecord --time-limit 30 /sdcard/video.mp4 && adb pull /sdcard/video.mp4
Push file	aim push file.txt /sdcard/	adb push file.txt /sdcard/
Pull file	aim pull /sdcard/file.txt ./	adb pull /sdcard/file.txt ./
Push directory	aim push -r folder/ /sdcard/	adb push folder/ /sdcard/
Interactive shell	aim shell	adb shell
Run command	aim shell ls /sdcard	adb shell ls /sdcard
View kernel logs	aim dmesg	adb shell dmesg
View app logs	aim logcat	adb logcat
Filter logs by priority	aim logcat -p ERROR	adb logcat *:E
Clear logs	aim logcat -c	adb logcat -c
Restart ADB server	aim server restart	adb kill-server && adb start-server
Check server status	aim server status	adb start-server
Install APK	aim install app.apk	adb install app.apk
Uninstall app	aim uninstall com.example	adb uninstall com.example
List packages	aim shell pm list packages	adb shell pm list packages
Device info	aim ls -v	adb devices -l
Run with specific device	aim -d pixel screenshot	adb -s <full-id> exec-out screencap -p > screen.png

Examples

List devices

# Instead of: adb devices -l
aim ls

# Output:
DEVICE ID    BRAND     MODEL       STATUS     NAME
abc123      Google    Pixel 6     device     work-phone
def456      Samsung   Galaxy S21  device     personal

Get properties

# Instead of: adb shell getprop ro.product.model
aim getprop ro.product.model

# Get all properties matching a pattern
aim getprop "ro.product.*"

Screenshots

# Instead of: adb exec-out screencap -p > screen.png
aim screenshot

# Interactive mode - press space to capture
aim screenshot -i

Screen recording

# Instead of: adb shell screenrecord /sdcard/video.mp4 && adb pull /sdcard/video.mp4
aim screenrecord

# Record for 30 seconds
aim screenrecord -t 30

File operations

# Progress bars for file transfers
aim push largefile.zip /sdcard/
aim pull /sdcard/DCIM/ ./photos/

Device selection

When multiple devices are connected:

# Partial ID matching
aim -d pixel screenshot    # Matches "pixel6-serial123"
aim -d work screenshot     # Matches device aliased as "work"

Configuration

~/.config/aim/config.toml:

[devices]
work = { id = "28291FDH200001", name = "Pixel 6 (work)" }
personal = { id = "R5CR10ZYZAB", name = "Galaxy S21" }

[screenshot]
output = "~/Pictures/Screenshots"

[screenrecord]
output = "~/Videos"

All commands

• aim ls - List devices (with better formatting)
• aim getprop [pattern] - Get device properties
• aim screenshot - Take a screenshot
• aim screenrecord - Record screen
• aim push/pull - Transfer files with progress bars
• aim dmesg - View kernel logs
• aim logcat - View app logs (with filtering)
• aim shell [cmd] - Run shell commands
• aim server start/stop/restart - Manage ADB server
• aim rename <device> <alias> - Create device aliases

Output formats

Most commands support -o json or -o plain:

aim ls -o json
aim getprop -o json

Contributing

Standard Rust project. Run tests with cargo test.

License

MIT