Setting Up Caido with Android Emulator

Intercept Android traffic using Caido proxy with an Android emulator.

Prerequisites

• Linux machine with snap
• Caido installed and running on 127.0.0.1:8080

Step 1: Install Android Tools

sudo snap install androidsdk

androidsdk "platform-tools" "emulator" "cmdline-tools;latest" "platforms;android-34" "system-images;android-34;google_apis;x86_64"
# If you need Play Store (not rootable): "system-images;android-34;google_apis_playstore;x86_64"

Add tools to PATH:

sudo tee /etc/profile.d/androidsdk.sh << 'EOF'
export PATH="$PATH:$HOME/AndroidSDK/emulator:$HOME/AndroidSDK/platform-tools:$HOME/AndroidSDK/cmdline-tools/latest/bin"
EOF

Log out and back in, then verify:

which emulator
which adb
which avdmanager

Step 2: Create and Launch Emulator

avdmanager create avd -n caido_test -k "system-images;android-34;google_apis;x86_64"
# Press Enter when asked for custom hardware profile

# Enable hardware keyboard (optional)
echo "hw.keyboard=yes" >> ~/.android/avd/caido_test.avd/config.ini

emulator @caido_test &

adb devices
# Expected: List of devices attached
#           emulator-5554   device

Step 3: Configure Proxy

adb reverse tcp:8080 tcp:8080

adb shell settings put global http_proxy 127.0.0.1:8080
adb shell settings put global https_proxy 127.0.0.1:8080

adb shell settings get global http_proxy
# Expected: 127.0.0.1:8080

Step 4: Install CA Certificate

1. In emulator browser, go to http://127.0.0.1:8080/ca.crt
2. Install via Settings > Security and privacy > Encryption and Credentials > Install a certificate > CA certificate > INSTALL ANYWAY > Select cert from Recent
3. Verify cert is installed: Settings > Security and privacy > Encryption and Credentials > Trusted credentials > USER — your cert should be listed

Step 5: Test

Open any HTTPS site in emulator browser — traffic should appear in Caido's HTTP History.

Disable Proxy

adb shell settings put global http_proxy :0

adb reverse --remove-all
# Note: This removes localhost access from emulator. Use 10.0.2.2 to reach host machine instead.
# Example: http://10.0.2.2:8000 instead of http://127.0.0.1:8000

Quick Reference

adb reverse tcp:8080 tcp:8080                            # Enable tunnel
adb shell settings put global http_proxy 127.0.0.1:8080  # Enable proxy
adb shell settings get global http_proxy                 # Check status (expect: 127.0.0.1:8080)
adb shell settings put global http_proxy :0              # Disable proxy (expect: null)

References

• Caido Android Setup (GUI method) — For physical devices or GUI-based configuration
• System Certificate Installation — For apps with certificate pinning