Install on Linux

Native host networking

On Linux network_mode: host works out of the box — nothing to toggle (unlike Docker Desktop on macOS / Windows). The bot container shares the host loopback and starts its own adb server on 127.0.0.1:5037, so it reaches emulators on loopback directly — you don’t install adb on the host.

1. Install Docker Engine

You need Docker Engine with the Compose v2 plugin. No host adb — the bot container ships its own. Pick your distro:

Debian / Ubuntu

# Docker Engine + Compose plugin (official convenience script)
curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com | sudo sh

Fedora

sudo dnf -y install dnf-plugins-core
sudo dnf config-manager --add-repo https://download.docker.com/linux/fedora/docker-ce.repo
sudo dnf -y install docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-compose-plugin
sudo systemctl enable --now docker

Arch

sudo pacman -S --needed docker docker-compose
sudo systemctl enable --now docker

Verify it’s ready:

docker compose version   # Compose v2.x

Want adb on the host too?

Optional — only handy if you manage an AVD or Waydroid from a host shell. Install your distro’s package (android-tools-adb on Debian/Ubuntu, android-tools on Fedora/Arch). The stack itself never needs it.

Run Docker without sudo

Add yourself to the docker group so you don’t need sudo for every command — then log out and back in (or run newgrp docker) for it to take effect:

sudo usermod -aG docker "$USER"

Optional: emulator choices

BlueStacks is the known-good default, but Linux can also run Autopilot against any Android target reachable on the host loopback and kept at 720 × 1280 portrait, 320 DPI, English game language.

Option	When to use it	Setup notes
Android Studio Emulator	You want the official Android emulator and already have Android Studio / SDK tools installed.	Create a phone AVD with a custom 720 × 1280 portrait hardware profile, set density to 320 DPI, and launch it. It shows up on the dashboard’s Devices (ADB) page.
Waydroid	You want a lightweight Linux-native Android container on a Wayland desktop.	Install and initialize Waydroid, start the session, then point the bot’s adb at it: docker compose -f docker-compose.prod.yml exec bot adb connect <waydroid-ip>:5555. It then appears on Devices (ADB). Advanced; test one account first.

2. Run the stack

1. Fetch the compose file

   curl -fsSL https://batazor.github.io/autopilot-page/docker-compose.prod.yml -o docker-compose.prod.yml

2. Set the emulator profile — 720 × 1280 @ 320 DPI, game language English, with ADB enabled in the emulator. See Emulator setup; the dashboard warns you if the resolution or DPI is off.

3. Pull and start redis + bot + api + web:

   docker compose -f docker-compose.prod.yml up -d --pull always

4. Open the dashboard

   xdg-open http://127.0.0.1:3000/overview

First start

The bot service starts automatically — no activation step is needed. Open the dashboard, go to Devices (ADB), and your emulator shows up ready to add.

Troubleshooting

Bot can't see the emulator

Confirm the emulator is running with ADB enabled and listening on loopback. Open the dashboard’s Devices (ADB) page and press Rescan — it discovers and connects for you. To check from inside the container directly:

docker compose -f docker-compose.prod.yml exec bot adb devices

See Troubleshooting for the full list of common failures.