async-execution.md

Async Execution

By default, dcd cloud waits for all tests to complete before exiting. Async mode lets you start a test run and return immediately — useful when you want to avoid blocking your CI pipeline.

Basic Usage

dcd cloud <appFile> <flowFile> --async

When tests are submitted successfully, the command exits with code 0 regardless of test outcome. If submission itself fails, it exits with code 1.

Pair --async with --name to make it easy to look up results later:

dcd cloud <appFile> <flowFile> --async --name "build-$GIT_SHA"

Checking Results After an Async Run

Use the dcd status command to poll for results by upload ID:

dcd status --upload-id <uploadId>

You can also look a run up by name with --name (handy when paired with --async --name). See dcd status for the full reference.

GitHub Actions Pattern

In GitHub Actions, async mode is useful when you want to kick off tests and check results in a later step, while other CI work continues in parallel:

jobs:
  build-and-test:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Build app
        run: ./gradlew assembleDebug

      # Start tests immediately — don't wait for results
      - uses: devicecloud-dev/device-cloud-for-maestro@v2
        id: dcd
        with:
          api-key: ${{ secrets.DCD_API_KEY }}
          app-file: app/build/outputs/apk/debug/app-debug.apk
          async: true
          name: ${{ github.sha }}

      # Continue with other CI work while tests run in the background
      - name: Run unit tests
        run: ./gradlew test

      # Check test results at the end
      - name: Verify DeviceCloud status
        run: |
          echo "Test results: ${{ steps.dcd.outputs.DEVICE_CLOUD_UPLOAD_STATUS }}"
          echo "View at: ${{ steps.dcd.outputs.DEVICE_CLOUD_CONSOLE_URL }}"

Considerations

• The console URL is available via the DEVICE_CLOUD_CONSOLE_URL action output so you can link to results from your CI summary.
• Retries (--retry) and async mode work together — DeviceCloud handles retries in the background.
• If you need the final pass/fail status in CI, use dcd status to poll or use the dcd status directly.
• With the DeviceCloud GitHub App installed, an async run reports its result back as a pass/fail check on the pull request, so you don't have to poll for it yourself.