developer-tools

Pref Editor (Android)

by charlesmuchene

Pref Editor (Android) lets you read, modify, and manage app preferences on Android via ADB for debugging and automation.

Integrates with Android devices through ADB connectivity to read, modify, add, and delete SharedPreferences and DataStore preference files for debugging app preferences, automating testing workflows, and managing app configuration data.

github stars

2

Natural language commandsReal-time preference editingRequires ADB connection

best for

  • / Android developers debugging app preferences
  • / QA engineers testing different app configurations
  • / Automating preference changes in CI/CD pipelines

capabilities

  • / List connected Android devices
  • / Browse installed apps and preference files
  • / Read all preferences from app files
  • / Add new preferences with specified types
  • / Modify existing preference values
  • / Delete unwanted preferences

what it does

Connects to Android devices via ADB to read and modify app SharedPreferences and DataStore files using natural language commands.

about

Pref Editor (Android) is a community-built MCP server published by charlesmuchene that provides AI assistants with tools and capabilities via the Model Context Protocol. Pref Editor (Android) lets you read, modify, and manage app preferences on Android via ADB for debugging and automation. It is categorized under developer tools. This server exposes 7 tools that AI clients can invoke during conversations and coding sessions.

how to install

You can install Pref Editor (Android) in your AI client of choice. Use the install panel on this page to get one-click setup for Cursor, Claude Desktop, VS Code, and other MCP-compatible clients. This server runs locally on your machine via the stdio transport.

license

Apache-2.0

Pref Editor (Android) is released under the Apache-2.0 license. This is a permissive open-source license, meaning you can freely use, modify, and distribute the software.

readme

Android Preference Editor MCP Server

<a href="https://glama.ai/mcp/servers/@charlesmuchene/pref-editor-mcp-server"> <img width="380" height="200" src="https://glama.ai/mcp/servers/@charlesmuchene/pref-editor-mcp-server/badge" alt="Pref-Editor MCP Server"/> </a>

Overview

Unlock the power of natural language for Android app development with the Android Preference Editor MCP Server. Effortlessly edit user preferences in real time using simple, conversational commands—no manual file editing required! Built on the robust Android Preference Editor library, this server seamlessly connects with MCP (Model Context Protocol) clients to supercharge your AI-driven workflows.

Just tell the MCP server what you want to do, for example:

  • “Toggle the isVisited user preference”
  • “Turn off the onboarding guide”
  • “List all the user preference values”
  • "Create a timestamp preference with the current epoch time"

Experience a smarter, faster way to manage Android preferences—just ask!

Available Tools

NameDescription
change_preferenceChanges the value of an existing preference
delete_preferenceDelete an existing preference
add_preferenceAdds a new preference given the name, value, and type
read_preferencesReads all user preferences in a file
devicesLists connected Android devices
list_appsLists apps installed on the device
list_filesLists preference files for an app

Demo

Toggle a user preferenceAvailable toolsAdd a preference
Toggle a preferenceAvailable toolsAdd a preference

See more demos in the demo screenshots directory

Requirements

  • Android adb (v1.0.41+)
  • Node.js 14+ or Docker

Integrations

This server is available in the Docker MCP Catalog. Enable the Pref Editor server in Docker desktop's MCP toolkit and you'll have access to all the available tools.

Android Studio

Assumes an MCP compatible client is installed.

Add the following configuration to the MCP server config file. For example, for the GitHub Copilot IntelliJ Plugin, the config file is ~/.config/github-copilot/intellij/mcp.json.

Docker

{
  "servers": {
    "pref-editor": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": ["run", "-i", "--rm", "charlesmuchene/pref-editor-mcp-server"]
    }
  }
}

npx

{
  "servers": {
    "pref-editor": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@charlesmuchene/pref-editor-mcp-server"]
    }
  }
}

Claude Desktop

Add this server to the /Users/<username>/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json configuration file.

Docker

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pref-editor": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": ["run", "-i", "--rm", "charlesmuchene/pref-editor-mcp-server"]
    }
  }
}

npx

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pref-editor": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@charlesmuchene/pref-editor-mcp-server"]
    }
  }
}

You can troubleshoot problems by tailing the log file:

tail -f ~/Library/Logs/Claude/mcp-server-pref-editor.log

VS Code

To use the server with VS Code, you need to:

  1. Add the MCP Server configuration to your mcp.json or settings.json:

.vscode/mcp.json

{
  "servers": {
    "pref-editor": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@charlesmuchene/pref-editor-mcp-server"]
    }
  }
}

~/Library/Application Support/Code/User/settings.json

{
  "mcp": {
    "pref-editor": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@charlesmuchene/pref-editor-mcp-server"]
    }
  }
}

For more information, see the VS Code documentation.

Building Locally

Refer to DEV.md for instructions on how to build this project.

Testing

You can use the MCP Inspector for visual debugging of this MCP Server.

npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector npm run start

License

See LICENSE

Contact

For questions or support, reach out via GitHub Issues.

Contributing

We welcome contributions from the community! 🎉

First-time contributors: Please start by reading our CONTRIBUTING.md guide, which covers:

  • PR requirements and title format
  • Development setup and workflow
  • Code quality standards
  • License information

For detailed development instructions, see DEV.md.

Contributor Covenant

FAQ

What is the Pref Editor (Android) MCP server?
Pref Editor (Android) is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server profile on explainx.ai. MCP lets AI hosts (e.g. Claude Desktop, Cursor) call tools and resources through a standard interface; this page summarizes categories, install hints, and community ratings.
How do MCP servers relate to agent skills?
Skills are reusable instruction packages (often SKILL.md); MCP servers expose live capabilities. Teams frequently combine both—skills for workflows, MCP for APIs and data. See explainx.ai/skills and explainx.ai/mcp-servers for parallel directories.
How are reviews shown for Pref Editor (Android)?
This profile displays 10 aggregated ratings (sample rows for discoverability plus signed-in user reviews). Average score is about 4.5 out of 5—verify behavior in your own environment before production use.
MCP server reviews

Ratings

4.510 reviews
  • Shikha Mishra· Oct 10, 2024

    Pref Editor (Android) is among the better-indexed MCP projects we tried; the explainx.ai summary tracks the official description.

  • Piyush G· Sep 9, 2024

    We evaluated Pref Editor (Android) against two servers with overlapping tools; this profile had the clearer scope statement.

  • Chaitanya Patil· Aug 8, 2024

    Useful MCP listing: Pref Editor (Android) is the kind of server we cite when onboarding engineers to host + tool permissions.

  • Sakshi Patil· Jul 7, 2024

    Pref Editor (Android) reduced integration guesswork — categories and install configs on the listing matched the upstream repo.

  • Ganesh Mohane· Jun 6, 2024

    I recommend Pref Editor (Android) for teams standardizing on MCP; the explainx.ai page compares cleanly with sibling servers.

  • Oshnikdeep· May 5, 2024

    Strong directory entry: Pref Editor (Android) surfaces stars and publisher context so we could sanity-check maintenance before adopting.

  • Dhruvi Jain· Apr 4, 2024

    Pref Editor (Android) has been reliable for tool-calling workflows; the MCP profile page is a good permalink for internal docs.

  • Rahul Santra· Mar 3, 2024

    According to our notes, Pref Editor (Android) benefits from clear Model Context Protocol framing — fewer ambiguous “AI plugin” claims.

  • Pratham Ware· Feb 2, 2024

    We wired Pref Editor (Android) into a staging workspace; the listing’s GitHub and npm pointers saved time versus hunting across READMEs.

  • Yash Thakker· Jan 1, 2024

    Pref Editor (Android) is a well-scoped MCP server in the explainx.ai directory — install snippets and categories matched our Claude Code setup.