Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe.
Currently, AppClaw relies heavily on local device execution. When attempting to route sessions to a remote Appium grid (like BrowserStack) using a remote URL and capabilities, the execution fails because the underlying tools (like appium-mcp) enforce local adb devices or ANDROID_HOME checks. This effectively blocks automation engineers from leveraging remote device farms for their AI test flows.
Describe the solution you'd like
I suggest adding a feature that explicitly enables and streamlines cloud provider connections. Ideally, this would allow users to pass a remote Appium hub URL (e.g., via an --appium-url flag or environment variable) and a capabilities file. When this remote configuration is detected, AppClaw should completely bypass any local SDK or ADB validation checks and route the session directly to the cloud provider.
Describe alternatives you've considered
I have tried bypassing the local checks using dummy environment variables (e.g., setting a fake ANDROID_HOME path) and using strict prompt instructions to force the appium_session_management tool to use a remoteServerUrl. However, these workarounds are inconsistent, often resulting in 20-second local device timeouts.
Additional context
Adding native support for cloud Appium providers would be a massive milestone in AppClaw's development. It would empower automation engineers and developers to seamlessly integrate AppClaw into enterprise environments and scale their AI-driven testing beyond local machines. Thank you for building such a great tool!
Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe.
Currently, AppClaw relies heavily on local device execution. When attempting to route sessions to a remote Appium grid (like BrowserStack) using a remote URL and capabilities, the execution fails because the underlying tools (like
appium-mcp) enforce localadb devicesorANDROID_HOMEchecks. This effectively blocks automation engineers from leveraging remote device farms for their AI test flows.Describe the solution you'd like
I suggest adding a feature that explicitly enables and streamlines cloud provider connections. Ideally, this would allow users to pass a remote Appium hub URL (e.g., via an
--appium-urlflag or environment variable) and a capabilities file. When this remote configuration is detected, AppClaw should completely bypass any local SDK or ADB validation checks and route the session directly to the cloud provider.Describe alternatives you've considered
I have tried bypassing the local checks using dummy environment variables (e.g., setting a fake
ANDROID_HOMEpath) and using strict prompt instructions to force theappium_session_managementtool to use aremoteServerUrl. However, these workarounds are inconsistent, often resulting in 20-second local device timeouts.Additional context
Adding native support for cloud Appium providers would be a massive milestone in AppClaw's development. It would empower automation engineers and developers to seamlessly integrate AppClaw into enterprise environments and scale their AI-driven testing beyond local machines. Thank you for building such a great tool!