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Adding Skills

Adding skills for new apps is the most valuable contribution. Every new app skill makes the framework more useful for everyone. This page covers the process specifically for contributors.

Contribution Types

Section titled “Contribution Types”
TypeDifficultyImpact
Add UI elements for a new appEasy-MediumHigh
Write an Action for an existing appMediumHigh
Write a Workflow (multi-step)MediumHigh
Build a complete app SkillMedium-HardVery High

Step-by-Step

Section titled “Step-by-Step”

1. Scaffold the Directory

Section titled “1. Scaffold the Directory”
Terminal window
mkdir -p marketing_system/skills/whatsapp/actions
mkdir -p marketing_system/skills/whatsapp/workflows
touch marketing_system/skills/whatsapp/__init__.py
touch marketing_system/skills/whatsapp/actions/__init__.py
touch marketing_system/skills/whatsapp/workflows/__init__.py

2. Define UI Elements

Section titled “2. Define UI Elements”

Use the Skill Creator tab (live device stream with element overlay) to identify elements on the target app:

marketing_system/skills/whatsapp/elements.yaml
package: com.whatsapp
app_version: "2.24.x"


elements:
  search_icon:
    resource_id: "com.whatsapp:id/menuitem_search"
    content_desc: "Search"
    description: "Search icon in toolbar"


  chat_input:
    resource_id: "com.whatsapp:id/entry"
    description: "Message text input field"


  send_button:
    resource_id: "com.whatsapp:id/send"
    content_desc: "Send"
    description: "Send message button"

Always provide at least 2 locator fields per element (e.g., resource_id + content_desc).

3. Write Actions

Section titled “3. Write Actions”
marketing_system/skills/whatsapp/actions/send_message.py
from marketing_system.skills.base import Action, ActionResult


class SendMessage(Action):
    name = "send_message"
    description = "Type a message and tap send"


    def precondition(self, dev, xml):
        return dev.find_bounds(xml, resource_id="com.whatsapp:id/entry") is not None


    def execute(self, dev, text="Hello", **kwargs):
        xml = dev.dump_xml()
        bounds = dev.find_bounds(xml, resource_id="com.whatsapp:id/entry")
        dev.tap(*dev.bounds_center(bounds))
        dev.type_text(text)


        xml = dev.dump_xml()
        bounds = dev.find_bounds(xml, resource_id="com.whatsapp:id/send")
        if bounds:
            dev.tap(*dev.bounds_center(bounds))
            return ActionResult(success=True)
        return ActionResult(success=False, error="Send button not found")

4. Write Workflows (Optional)

Section titled “4. Write Workflows (Optional)”
marketing_system/skills/whatsapp/workflows/send_dm.py
from marketing_system.skills.base import Workflow


class SendDM(Workflow):
    name = "send_dm"
    description = "Send a DM to a contact"


    def steps(self):
        return [
            ("open_app", {}),
            ("search_contact", {"query": self.params["contact"]}),
            ("send_message", {"text": self.params["message"]}),
        ]

5. Register

Section titled “5. Register”
marketing_system/skills/whatsapp/__init__.py
from marketing_system.skills.base import Skill


def load():
    skill = Skill.from_yaml("marketing_system/skills/whatsapp")
    from .actions.send_message import SendMessage
    skill.register_action(SendMessage)
    from .workflows.send_dm import SendDM
    skill.register_workflow(SendDM)
    return skill

6. Test

Section titled “6. Test”
Terminal window
# Verify it loads
python3 -c "
from marketing_system.skills.whatsapp import load
s = load()
print(f'{s.name}: {len(s.elements)} elements, {s.list_actions()}, {s.list_workflows()}')
"


# Run on device
python3 -c "
from marketing_system.skills.whatsapp import load
from marketing_system.bots.common.adb import Device
s = load()
dev = Device()
action = s.get_action('send_message', dev)
result = action.run(text='Hello from the bot')
print(f'Success: {result.success}')
"

7. Submit PR

Section titled “7. Submit PR”
Terminal window
git checkout -b skill/whatsapp
git add marketing_system/skills/whatsapp/
git commit -m "Add WhatsApp skill: send_message action, send_dm workflow"

Include in the PR:

  • App name and version tested on
  • Device model and Android version
  • What actions and workflows are included
  • Screenshot of the skill working (appreciated but optional)

Quality Checklist

Section titled “Quality Checklist”

Before submitting:

  • skill.yaml has name, version, app_package, description
  • elements.yaml uses multiple locator fields per element
  • All actions have name and description
  • At least one action has a postcondition()
  • Skill loads without errors
  • Tested on a real device
  • No hardcoded serials or credentials

Even Partial Skills Help

Section titled “Even Partial Skills Help”

Even a skeleton with just skill.yaml and elements.yaml (no actions) is a valid contribution. It saves the next person from starting from scratch and provides the UI element mappings for the app.

Section titled “Related”