ExecBro

Give your AI assistant eyes and hands into your running React Native app. Like Chrome DevTools — but for AI agents.

Build, debug, and verify features end-to-end — without leaving the chat.

ExecBro is the runtime bridge between your AI coding assistant and your running React Native app — exposing MCP tools to read logs and network, inspect component state, capture screenshots, tap the UI, and run JS. Zero config, no SDK or code changes required to start — and installing the optional SDK is recommended for the most robust log and network capture.

ExecBro demo

Get started

1. Setup ExecBro as an MCP server for your agent of choice
2. Setup UI automation helpers
3. Install the SDK in your React Native app — optional, but recommended for the most robust log, network, and state experience
4. Authorize and link to the web dashboard — optional for usage stats and session history, required to unlock unlimited usage via ExecBro Pro
5. Start your React Native app (npm start / expo start)
6. Ask your AI assistant in plain language — e.g. "Connect to the simulator and investigate what caused the error on the screen"

See your usage — execbro.com

Log in at execbro.com to see your ExecBro activity rendered back to you: which tools you use most, tool error rates, and your session history — so you can spot flaky tools, track usage over time, and understand how your agent drives the app across sessions. It's built from the same anonymous telemetry described in Telemetry & Privacy, tied to your installation ID.

Linking your installation here is also required to unlock ExecBro Pro — signing in and authorizing your installation is what lets the unlimited-usage plan take effect; without it, the free tier's monthly cap applies even after subscribing.

Features

Runtime Interaction

• Console Log Capture - Capture console.log, warn, error, info, debug with filtering and search. Note: on a cold start (first app launch), logs emitted before the MCP server connects are missed — subsequent reloads capture everything. Install the optional SDK to buffer logs from the very first line of app startup
• Network Request Tracking - Monitor HTTP requests/responses with headers, timing, and body content. Like logs, early network requests on cold start may be missed before the connection is established. Install the optional SDK for full capture from app startup including request/response bodies
• JavaScript Execution - Run code directly in your app (REPL-style) and inspect results
• Global State Debugging - Discover and inspect Apollo Client, Redux stores, Expo Router, and custom globals. Wire stores and other app internals straight into the agent with the optional SDK for direct, reliable state access
• Bundle Error Detection - Get Metro bundler errors and compilation issues with file locations
• Tap-to-Source - Point at any element with RN's Element Inspector and get back the absolute source file and line where it is rendered, resolved from the React fiber's _debugStack via Metro symbolication. Works on React 19, where _debugSource no longer exists. Selections are buffered in the background, so taps you make during a manual inspector session are captured without asking the agent first

Device Control

• iOS Simulator - Screenshots, app management, URL handling, boot/terminate (via simctl)
• Android Devices - Screenshots, app install/launch, package management (via ADB)
• Unified Tap - Single tap tool with automatic fallback chain: fiber tree → accessibility → OCR → coordinates. Auto-detects platform, accepts pixels from screenshots. Returns post-tap screenshot and verifies visual change by default
• Unified Swipe - Single swipe tool that auto-routes to iOS or Android based on the connected device. Accepts screenshot pixel coordinates, handles per-platform conversion, and returns a verification.meaningful signal so agents detect end-of-list, non-scrollable surfaces, and missed coordinates. Essential for scrolling virtualized lists (FlatList/SectionList) where off-screen items aren't in the fiber tree
• UI Automation - Swipe, long press, key events, and text input on both platforms. On Bridgeless/Fabric apps, dismiss_keyboard operates on whatever has focus, and ios_input_text / android_input_text accept replace:true to overwrite pre-filled values — updating React state through onChangeText so controlled components (Formik, react-hook-form, useState) stay consistent
• Accessibility Inspection - Query UI hierarchy to find elements by text, label, or resource ID
• OCR Text Extraction - Extract visible text with tap-ready coordinates via Google Cloud Vision (works on any screen content)

Multi-Device Debugging

• Connect All Devices - scan_metro automatically discovers and connects to all Bridgeless targets on each Metro port
• Device Targeting - Every tool accepts an optional device parameter for targeting specific devices by name (case-insensitive substring match)
• Per-Device Buffers - Logs and network requests are captured separately per device for clean debugging
• Cross-Platform Comparison - Debug iOS and Android side-by-side, comparing logs, network traffic, and component trees

Under the Hood

• Auto-Discovery - Scans Metro on ports 8081, 8082, 19000-19002 automatically
• Multi-Device Support - Connects to all Bridgeless targets simultaneously, with per-device log and network buffers
• Auto-Reconnection - Exponential backoff (up to 8 attempts) when connection drops
• Efficient Buffering - Circular buffers: 500 logs, 200 network requests, 100 inspector selections
• Platform Support - Expo SDK 54+ (Bridgeless) and React Native 0.70+ (Hermes)

Setup

Add ExecBro to Claude Code in one command — no installation, npx fetches the latest version on demand:

claude mcp add execbro --scope user -- npx -y execbro@latest

Then fully restart the client (quit and relaunch) so it picks up the new server.

Using a different client or need platform setup? The full setup guide covers Claude Desktop, Codex CLI, Cursor, VS Code Copilot, Windsurf, Zed, and Gemini CLI, plus Android and iOS simulator UI automation requirements.

Install the SDK (recommended)

ExecBro works with zero app changes, but installing the companion execbro-sdk package is the single biggest upgrade to debugging quality. It lets you wire up the important parts of your app — your state stores and your network layer — directly into the agent's reach, so the AI inspects real Redux/TanStack Query state and full request/response bodies instead of guessing from the outside.

It's one npm install plus a single init() call in your app's entry file. See the SDK guide for install, initialization, and every config option.

Requirements

• Node.js 18+
• React Native app running with Metro bundler
• Recommended: execbro-sdk in your app — wires stores and the network layer into the agent for dramatically better debugging (optional; ExecBro works without it)
• iOS UI automation: AXe CLI (brew install cameroncooke/axe/axe, default) or Facebook IDB (brew install idb-companion, opt in via IOS_DRIVER=idb) — required for tap, swipe, text input, accessibility on iOS Simulator
• Optional for offline OCR fallback: Python 3.6+ (only needed when cloud OCR is unavailable, see OCR guide)

Claude Code Skills

Pre-built skills for common debugging workflows — session setup, log inspection, network debugging, and more. See the skills guide for the full list and installation instructions.

Available Tools

See the full tool reference for all tools with descriptions. Key tools:

Usage

1. Start your React Native app:

   bash

   npm start
   # or
   expo start
   

2. Just describe what you want in plain language — the agent picks the right tools. You don't need to know tool names or ask for a specific one. For example:

   code

   Connect to the simulator and investigate what caused the error on the screen
   

   code

   Check the network logs and investigate why this error is happening
   

   code

   Why is the current screen empty? Take a look and figure it out
   

   code

   Tap the "Sign in" button and tell me what happens
   

   code

   The list won't scroll — scroll it down and check what's going on
   

   code

   Why does this button look wrong — what component renders it and where?
   

   The agent connects to Metro, reads logs and network, inspects the screen, and drives the UI as needed to answer.

Detailed Guides

How It Works

1. Fetches device list from Metro's /json endpoint
2. Connects to the main JS runtime via CDP (Chrome DevTools Protocol) WebSocket
3. Enables Runtime.enable to receive Runtime.consoleAPICalled events
4. Network capture via two paths:
   • With SDK: Reads from the SDK's in-app buffer via Runtime.evaluate — captures all requests from startup with full headers and bodies, including cold-start events that CDP would miss
   • Without SDK: Enables CDP Network.enable (on supported targets) or injects a JS fetch interceptor as fallback. On cold start, events emitted before the CDP connection is established are lost; subsequent reloads capture everything
5. Stores logs and network requests in circular buffers for retrieval

Connection Management

• One server per session — each agent session (each terminal or IDE window) runs its own ExecBro MCP server instance.
• Connects on request, not on startup — the server never auto-connects. It only attaches to your running React Native app when you ask it to (e.g. scan_metro), so it stays out of the way until you actually need a device.
• One driver per device — if two or more sessions in the same project point at the same Metro/device, they'll compete to control it, like a car with two steering wheels. Keep interaction to a single session per device.
• Want parallel sessions? Give each its own device + port — run separate work in a git worktree with its own Metro instance on a different port, and connect a second device (simulator/emulator) to it. For example, keep main on the default 8081 and start the worktree's Metro on 8082 (npx react-native start --port 8082, or npx expo start --port 8082), then launch that worktree's app pointed at 8082. Each agent session then scan_metros and drives its own device, so the two never fight over the connection.

Troubleshooting

No devices found

• Make sure the app is running on a simulator/device
• Check that Metro bundler is running (npm start)

Logs not appearing

• Ensure the app is actively running (not just Metro)
• Try clear_logs then trigger some actions in the app
• Check get_apps to verify connection status
• On cold start (first launch): The CDP connection is established after the app's early initialization code has already run, so startup logs and network requests are missed. Once connected, use reload_app — the subsequent reload captures everything from the beginning because the connection is already in place. To capture startup events on every launch, install the optional SDK

Telemetry & Privacy

ExecBro sends two separate signals, not one:

• Usage metering (required, always on) — a counted tool-call signal that powers the free tier and enforces its monthly cap. This stays on whenever you're using the free tier; it cannot be disabled and still use ExecBro's free tools.
• Product analytics (optional) — tool names, success/failure, and durations, used to improve the product. No source code, file paths, or app content is ever sent. This is what powers your usage dashboard. Disable it with EXECBRO_TELEMETRY=false in your MCP server config. Doing so turns off analytics only — it does not disable usage metering, which keeps counting tool calls against the free-tier cap regardless.

See the Telemetry & Data Collection guide for the full breakdown of what's collected, auto-registration, and how to opt out, and PRIVACY.md for the complete privacy policy.

Supported React Native Versions

Pricing

ExecBro is free to use — every feature, fully intelligent — up to 600 tool calls per month. That covers evaluation and everyday debugging. Heavy users can remove the cap with ExecBro Pro ($8.99/mo) for unlimited calls and every future hosted feature. See execbro.com/pricing.

Feedback & Feature Requests

Please run this at the end of your session to help me make the tools better. ExecBro is built for AI agents, so the most valuable feedback comes from the agent itself — paste this prompt to your agent:

Write a report about your experience with the ExecBro tools — where you were struggling and what could be improved. Save it as a Markdown file for me, then submit it using the send_feedback tool (type "feedback") so it becomes a GitHub issue.

It takes 30 seconds: your agent runs send_feedback, hands you a pre-filled GitHub issue URL (environment info already attached), and you click submit — no GitHub setup, no copy-pasting. Real friction logs from real sessions are what shape the roadmap and get fixed first, so please send one. 🙏 And if you just have a quick idea or question, drop into GitHub Discussions to share feedback, request features, and vote on what gets built next.

Package names & staying up to date

Ships as the npm package execbro. The package was previously published as react-native-ai-devtools and before that as react-native-ai-debugger — both legacy names keep receiving identical builds via mirror-publish, so existing installations and MCP configs keep working unchanged. New installs should use execbro.

License

MIT