Give Codex an Android phone (MCP).

Key moments

  1. 0:00 How to give Codex an Android phone
  2. 0:08 Add the server to ~/.codex/config.toml
  3. 0:20 Codex gets a task in an app with no API
  4. 0:27 It reads the screen as text, not pixels
  5. 0:32 It taps and types like a person
  6. 0:42 A person can take over from the live view
  7. 0:47 Codex parks the phone, still signed in

Transcript

0:00 Codex just got its own Android phone.

0:02 To give Codex an Android phone, add Phonebox's hosted MCP server to your Codex config.

0:07 Three lines in config.toml: the server's URL, and the variable that holds your key.

0:13 Export your key from the Phonebox CLI, and Codex gets thirteen phone tools.

0:20 Now ask Codex to reorder stock, in an app with no API.

0:24 It starts a real cloud Android phone, and opens the app.

0:27 It reads the screen as text, not pixels.

0:29 Every button, numbered.

0:32 Then it taps and types, like a person.

0:34 Orders. Reorder.

0:36 Six crates of oat milk. Place order.

0:40 Done. Order placed.

0:42 Need a human for a login code?

0:43 Open the live view, and take over.

0:46 When it's done, Codex parks the phone.

0:48 Still signed in, and free while parked.

0:52 No emulator, nothing to install. Phonebox.dev.

Try it yourself

Paste Read https://phonebox.dev/setup.md and set me up with Phonebox into Claude Code, Codex or Cursor. Then read give your coding agent an Android device, the Android MCP server guide, or cloud phones for AI agents.

Watch on YouTube.

The MCP tool calls and their results come from a real run against phonebox.dev/mcp, and the phone footage is that phone's own screen recording. The Codex terminal is a generic recreation that shows those calls. Dockside Supply is a sample app built for demos.

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The Phonebox team

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