# AI use cases for Phone Harness (ShawnPana/phone-harness)

Repo: [ShawnPana/phone-harness](https://github.com/ShawnPana/phone-harness) | Use cases: 3 | Page: https://dedupedai.com/use-cases/shawnpana-phone-harness/

phone-harness is a Python tool that lets Claude Code, Codex, or another agent see the screen of a real iPhone, Android, or rented cloud phone and tap, type, and read the result.

This file holds every use case of this repo. Each one starts with a "## " heading and ends with its URL.

- Test a mobile app flow on a real phone with an agent: https://dedupedai.com/use-cases/shawnpana-phone-harness/test-mobile-app-flow-on-real-phone/
- Run a phone task on a rented cloud phone: https://dedupedai.com/use-cases/shawnpana-phone-harness/run-phone-task-on-rented-cloud-phone/
- Have an agent order from your iPhone via Mac mirroring: https://dedupedai.com/use-cases/shawnpana-phone-harness/run-errand-on-own-iphone-from-mac/

## How to test a mobile app flow on a real phone with an agent with Phone Harness

Repo: [ShawnPana/phone-harness](https://github.com/ShawnPana/phone-harness) | Difficulty: Intermediate | Time: 1 hour | Basis: From the README

An agent opens your app, follows a test script, and reports what the screen shows.

**Who it is for:** A developer or QA tester who needs to check an app's sign-in or checkout flow on a real Android or iPhone when no emulator is available.

**The problem:** Manually tapping through a flow on several phones is slow, and emulators do not always match the device a user holds.

**The outcome:** The agent walks through the flow, reads the screen after each tap, and returns a step-by-step log with the final state.

### Steps

1. Install Phone Harness with uv using Python 3.12, for example `uv tool install phone-harness`. (inferred, check the README)
2. Run `phone-harness skill` to register the skill with your coding agent.
3. Run `phone-harness doctor` to check the connection to the phone.
4. Start your test in the agent, asking it to use `screenshot()`, `find_text`, and `tap` on the target app.
5. Read the agent's log and screenshots, then rerun with `phone-harness cloud stop` after a cloud session ends.

### Prompt to paste into your agent

```text
Using the phone-harness repo at https://github.com/ShawnPana/phone-harness, open <app name> on the connected phone, follow the test script <script path>, and report each step with the screen text it read. Verify that the last screen matches the expected result in the script before reporting success.
```

### Caveat

OCR sees text, not icons, so unlabeled buttons need a screenshot and a vision-capable model.

Disclaimer: Third-party repos we don't own or vouch for. AI-generated use cases can be wrong: review everything and run at your own risk. Full text: https://dedupedai.com/disclaimer/

URL: https://dedupedai.com/use-cases/shawnpana-phone-harness/test-mobile-app-flow-on-real-phone/

## How to run a phone task on a rented cloud phone with Phone Harness

Repo: [ShawnPana/phone-harness](https://github.com/ShawnPana/phone-harness) | Difficulty: Intermediate | Time: 30 minutes | Basis: From the README

Rent a cloud Android or iPhone by the session and let an agent work on it without owning a device.

**Who it is for:** A user with no phone on the desk, or an iPhone user who wants to test on Android, who needs an agent to complete an on-phone task.

**The problem:** Owning a spare test phone or working from a Mac with a phone paired is not always possible.

**The outcome:** The agent completes the task on a cloud phone and the session is stopped cleanly, with a saved Android written back if one was used.

### Steps

1. Install Phone Harness with uv using Python 3.12, for example `uv tool install phone-harness`. (inferred, check the README)
2. Run `phone-harness cloud login` and approve the request in your browser.
3. Run `phone-harness cloud ls` to see the phones on your account, then `phone-harness cloud start` or `phone-harness cloud start ios`.
4. Run `phone-harness <<'PY'` on one line, then `print(screenshot())` on the next, and then `PY` to confirm the phone responds.
5. Run `phone-harness cloud stop` when the task is finished.

### Prompt to paste into your agent

```text
Using the phone-harness repo at https://github.com/ShawnPana/phone-harness, start a cloud phone, complete the task <task description>, and return the final screen text. Verify with `cloud ls` that the session is stopped before you report completion.
```

### Caveat

Only cloud Android bills by the minute, so stop the session with `phone-harness cloud stop` when the task ends.

Risk, credentials: The agent signs in to apps on the cloud phone, so only use test accounts or credentials you are willing to expose to the session.

Disclaimer: Third-party repos we don't own or vouch for. AI-generated use cases can be wrong: review everything and run at your own risk. Full text: https://dedupedai.com/disclaimer/

URL: https://dedupedai.com/use-cases/shawnpana-phone-harness/run-phone-task-on-rented-cloud-phone/

## How to have an agent order from your iPhone via Mac mirroring with Phone Harness

Repo: [ShawnPana/phone-harness](https://github.com/ShawnPana/phone-harness) | Difficulty: Intermediate | Time: 1 hour | Basis: From the README

Let an agent drive your iPhone through the Mac's iPhone Mirroring window to finish an app errand.

**Who it is for:** An iPhone owner with a Mac who wants an agent to finish a repetitive app task, such as booking a ride or placing a food order, while they stay at the desk.

**The problem:** Doing a multi-screen app errand by hand takes attention for each tap and every confirmation screen.

**The outcome:** The agent completes the errand in the iPhone app and reports the confirmed details from the final screen.

### Steps

1. Install Phone Harness with uv using Python 3.12, for example `uv tool install phone-harness`. (inferred, check the README)
2. Pair iPhone Mirroring on the Mac and grant Accessibility and Screen Recording, as the setup prompt in the README describes.
3. Run `phone-harness skill` and then `phone-harness doctor` to confirm the mirrored phone is found.
4. Ask the agent to find the app and step through the errand, keeping the iPhone unlocked because unlocking pauses mirroring.
5. Review the confirmation screen the agent reports before any final payment step.

### Prompt to paste into your agent

```text
Using the phone-harness repo at https://github.com/ShawnPana/phone-harness, use the iPhone Mirroring window on this Mac to complete the errand <errand description>. Stop before the final payment confirmation and report the screen text, then verify the order details match the request before approving the last step.
```

### Caveat

Unlocking the iPhone pauses mirroring, so the phone must stay unlocked while the agent works.

Risk, credentials: The agent works inside your logged-in iPhone apps, so it can see and use saved accounts and payment details on the phone.

Disclaimer: Third-party repos we don't own or vouch for. AI-generated use cases can be wrong: review everything and run at your own risk. Full text: https://dedupedai.com/disclaimer/

URL: https://dedupedai.com/use-cases/shawnpana-phone-harness/run-errand-on-own-iphone-from-mac/