ADB Log Monitor (Enhanced)

A robust, configurable, enterprise-grade logcat watcher for Android development. Automatically detects devices, tracks app restarts, captures logs into timestamped files, and optionally restarts the target app if its process disappears.

Author: Reza Esmaeili Purpose: Reliable long-running log capture for debugging and QA.

---

Features

• 🔍 Automatic device detection (handles single/multiple devices)
• 📦 Monitors any Android package via pidof or ps
• 🔁 Auto-restart option for apps that crash or reboot
• 📝 Writes logs to timestamped files in a dedicated directory
• 🎛 Fully configurable CLI flags
• 🧼 Graceful cleanup on exit (Ctrl+C)
• ⚙️ Strict scripting style for reliability
• 🚀 Drop-in ready for CI, QA, or development machines

---

Requirements

• Android adb (Platform-tools) installed and in PATH
• A connected Android device or emulator authorized for debugging

---

Installation

Place the script anywhere in your project, e.g.:

scripts/adb-log-monitor.sh

Make it executable:

chmod +x adb-log-monitor.sh

(Optional) Add to PATH:

sudo ln -s /path/to/adb-log-monitor.sh /usr/local/bin/adb-log-monitor

---

Usage

Basic usage:

./adb-log-monitor.sh

This will:

• Detect the connected device
• Wait for the app to start
• Start logging when the process becomes available
• Write logs into logs/

---

CLI Options

-p PACKAGE       Android package name (default: ir.avaair.avaair)
-a APP_NAME      Friendly name for log filenames (default: derived from package)
-d DEVICE        adb device ID (serial). If omitted: auto-detect
-o DIR           Output directory for logs (default: logs)
-f FILTER        Logcat filter (default: "*:V")
--no-restart     Do NOT restart the app automatically
--help           Show usage

You may also pass filters as positional args:

./adb-log-monitor.sh *:E

---

Examples

Log all messages for default package

./adb-log-monitor.sh

Log only errors

./adb-log-monitor.sh -f "*:E"

Specify a different package

./adb-log-monitor.sh -p com.example.myapp

Target a specific device

./adb-log-monitor.sh -d emulator-5554

Disable auto-restart behavior

./adb-log-monitor.sh --no-restart

Save logs into a custom directory

./adb-log-monitor.sh -o /tmp/mylogs

---

Log Output

Each log session is written to:

logs/<app_name>_YYYY-MM-DD_HH-MM-SS_pid_<pid>.log

Example:

logs/avaair_2025-01-14_11-07-22_pid_1234.log

---

Behavior Summary

• If the app is not running, the script waits indefinitely.
• When the process starts, logging begins immediately.
• If the process restarts, logging restarts seamlessly.
• On Ctrl+C, the script kills the background logcat and exits cleanly.

---

Suggested .gitignore

logs/

This keeps your repo clean and prevents accidental log uploads.

---

Troubleshooting

"Device unauthorized"

Accept the ADB RSA prompt on your device.

“Device offline”

Restart:

adb kill-server
adb start-server

No logs generated

Ensure the package name is correct:

adb shell pm list packages | grep <keyword>

---

License

MIT License — feel free to modify and extend.