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Maestro lets you describe mobile UI journeys in YAML and run them with a single-binary CLI, without separately installing a WebDriver server or platform driver. You still need a running Android or iOS target and its platform tooling: Android uses ADB, while the documented local iOS route uses an Xcode-managed Simulator.
What “no WebDriver server” and “no driver install” mean
Maestro works against the rendered interface and accessibility layer rather than requiring instrumentation in your app’s source code. Its project describes the CLI as installable “as a single binary with no drivers or SDK.” That describes Maestro’s own distribution; it does not remove the need to prepare a device, simulator, or platform tools.
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This outside-in approach supports native and cross-platform app stacks. It is useful when you want tests that follow what a user sees and does, rather than tests that depend on changes to the application code.
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Write a mobile journey in YAML
A Maestro flow is a YAML file containing commands. A minimal example from the QuickStart identifies an app and launches it:
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appId: com.google.android.contacts
---
- launchApp:
clearState: trueReplace com.google.android.contacts with your app’s Android package name or iOS Bundle ID, as appropriate. A flow can then use commands such as tapOn to interact with visible labels and enter text, along with assertions to check the result. Maestro describes flows as flat lists of YAML commands.
For a project with multiple flows, a workspace config.yaml can set the app ID, flow file patterns, environment values, and test output directory. See the workspace configuration guide for the available configuration.
Prepare an Android target
Android execution uses ADB to communicate with a running emulator or connected physical device. The app must already be installed on that target; the Android execution documentation assumes this prerequisite.
- Emulator: Start an Android emulator and make sure ADB can see it.
- Physical device: Connect the phone and enable USB debugging so it can communicate through ADB.
A physical phone is optional: Maestro supports emulators as well as physical Android devices. Platform setup remains necessary even though Maestro does not require a separate WebDriver server or driver installation.
Prepare an iOS target
The documented local iOS path uses an Xcode-managed Simulator. Install Xcode Command Line Tools, use the app’s Bundle ID to identify it, and run the flow against the Simulator. This describes the local Simulator route; it should not be read as a claim that no Apple tooling is needed.
Install the CLI and run your flows
- Install Maestro: Follow the current official installation guide for the supported installation method and platform-specific prerequisites.
- Start or connect a target: For Android, start an emulator or connect a USB-debugging-enabled device and install the app. For the documented iOS route, start an Xcode-managed Simulator.
- Create a YAML flow: Set the correct app identifier, then write the launch, interaction, and assertion commands for the user journey.
- Run and inspect: Use the CLI and current command syntax in the CLI documentation, then review the run output and adjust the flow or target setup if a command cannot find or interact with the expected screen.
What Maestro does—and what setup it does not replace
| Area | Maestro provides | You still need |
|---|---|---|
| Test definition | YAML flows made from UI commands and assertions | A correct app identifier and a flow that matches the app’s UI |
| WebDriver and driver layer | A single-binary CLI; the project says its setup needs no separate drivers or SDK | The platform-specific target and tools Maestro communicates through |
| Android execution | UI interaction with supported Android targets | A running emulator or connected device through ADB, plus an app already installed |
| Local iOS execution | UI interaction with the documented Simulator target | An Xcode-managed Simulator and Xcode Command Line Tools |
Maestro’s own documentation explains its approach and current setup. The project’s GitHub repository describes the CLI design; neither the single-binary model nor the absence of a separate driver means that Android or Apple platform setup disappears.
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