refactor(devices): route ESP-NOW client through SerialTransport

Drops the direct pyserial imports from espnow_client/espnow_provider
in favor of open_transport/list_serial_ports/port_exists. The gateway
protocol is write-only, so no read() extension was needed. ESP-NOW
gateways are now reachable via usb:VID:PID URLs on Android.

TODO.md

@@ -34,19 +34,18 @@ Build the Android APK automatically on push/tag.
 
 ## Android Root Capture (No Permission Dialog, No System Indicator)
 
-MediaProjection shows a mandatory system overlay/indicator while capturing — unavoidable on stock Android. Many cheap Android TV boxes ship pre-rooted, so an alternative root-only path would give much better UX.
+MediaProjection shows a mandatory system overlay/indicator while capturing — unavoidable on stock Android. Many cheap Android TV boxes ship pre-rooted, so an alternative root-only path gives much better UX.
 
-- [ ] Detect root at runtime: check for `su` binary, `Superuser.apk`, etc.
+- [x] Root detection — `Root.kt` checks common `su` binary paths and, on demand, runs `su -c id` to actually prove UID 0. First call triggers Magisk's grant dialog; grant is cached per session. Exposed to Python via Chaquopy.
-- [ ] Implement `SurfaceControlCaptureEngine` (new capture engine) using hidden `SurfaceControl.screenshot()` API via reflection
+- [x] `RootScreenrecord.kt` — spawns `su -c screenrecord --output-format=h264 --size=WxH -`, feeds the H.264 stdout through a MediaCodec decoder whose output Surface is wired into an ImageReader (RGBA_8888, row-stride-aware). Decoded frames reach the Python pipeline via `PythonBridge.pushRootFrame`.
-  - No permission dialog
+- [x] Python-side `RootScreenrecordEngine` (`core/capture_engines/root_screenrecord_engine.py`) mirrors `MediaProjectionEngine` with `ENGINE_PRIORITY=110` (> MediaProjection's 100) so the factory picks it automatically when available.
-  - No system capture indicator
+- [x] `MainActivity` tries `Root.requestGrant()` before launching the MediaProjection consent flow — on rooted devices the consent dialog is skipped entirely. `CaptureService` has a `createRootIntent()` entry point that bypasses the MediaProjection path.
-  - Direct bitmap output (no encoder/decoder roundtrip)
+- [x] Fallback: if `Root.requestGrant()` returns false (no root, user denied, or `su` timeout) the existing MediaProjection flow runs unchanged.
-- [ ] Engine priority: higher than MediaProjection when root detected
+- [ ] Real-hardware test pending — need to verify on the user's Magisk'd TV box that: (1) grant dialog appears once, (2) frames actually flow through MediaCodec without the Android 14 capture indicator showing, (3) stop/start cycle terminates the `su` process cleanly.
-- [ ] Fallback chain: `SurfaceControl` (root) → `MediaProjection` (stock) → `adb screencap` (last resort)
+- [WONTDO] `SurfaceControl.screenshot()` via reflection — renamed/moved across API 28/29/30/33, hidden-API blocklist varies by release, even rooted apps hit it; days of maintenance for a marginal latency win over the screenrecord path. Not worth it.
-- [ ] Handle Android version differences in `SurfaceControl` API surface (renamed/moved across API 29, 30, 33)
+- [WONTDO] `adb screencap` fallback — full-PNG-per-frame pipeline is slower than MediaProjection, no value as a last resort.
-- [ ] Alternative: shell out to `screenrecord --output-format=h264 -` as root (same H.264 decode as scrcpy_client_engine, but local instead of remote ADB)
 
-Known projects using this approach for reference: scrcpy-hidden-api, shizuku, commercial scrcpy-derived apps.
+Known projects using the screenrecord approach for reference: scrcpy (over ADB), scrcpy-hidden-api, shizuku.
 
 ## Android USB Serial Support
 
@@ -60,7 +59,7 @@ Drive USB LED controllers (APA102, WS2812) connected directly to the Android TV
 - [ ] Real-device test pending — no USB-serial hardware on dev machine. Need to verify on a TV box with CH340, CP2102, or FTDI adapter.
 - [ ] Document supported USB LED controllers in README (once real-device test passes).
 - [ ] Optional: auto-launch the app when a known USB-serial adapter is plugged in (intent-filter on `USB_DEVICE_ATTACHED` + `res/xml/device_filter.xml`). Skipped in v1 — users can just open LedGrab and hit "Discover".
-- [ ] ESP-NOW client (`espnow_client.py` / `espnow_provider.py`) still imports `pyserial` directly and needs bidirectional reads — separate refactor to extend the transport with `read()` if ESP-NOW-via-USB on Android is needed.
+- [x] ESP-NOW client (`espnow_client.py` / `espnow_provider.py`) now routes through `SerialTransport` — `open_transport()` for the gateway serial link, `list_serial_ports()` + `port_exists()` for discovery/validation. Works transparently with `usb:VID:PID` URLs on Android. (Gateway protocol is write-only, so no `read()` extension was needed after all.)
 
 ## Performance Metrics Abstraction
 

server/src/ledgrab/core/devices/espnow_client.py

@@ -8,6 +8,11 @@ from typing import List, Optional, Tuple, Union
 import numpy as np
 
 from ledgrab.core.devices.led_client import DeviceHealth, LEDClient
+from ledgrab.core.devices.serial_transport import (
+    open_transport,
+    parse_serial_url,
+    port_exists,
+)
 from ledgrab.utils import get_logger
 
 logger = get_logger(__name__)
@@ -15,6 +20,7 @@ logger = get_logger(__name__)
 # Gateway serial protocol constants
 FRAME_START = 0xEE
 FRAME_END = 0xEF
+DEFAULT_ESPNOW_BAUD = 921600
 
 
 def _mac_str_to_bytes(mac: str) -> bytes:
@@ -53,14 +59,14 @@ class ESPNowClient(LEDClient):
         self,
         url: str = "",
         led_count: int = 0,
-        baud_rate: int = 921600,
+        baud_rate: Optional[int] = None,
         espnow_peer_mac: str = "FF:FF:FF:FF:FF:FF",
         espnow_channel: int = 1,
         **kwargs,
     ):
-        self._port = url
+        self._port, url_baud = parse_serial_url(url)
+        self._baud_rate = baud_rate or url_baud or DEFAULT_ESPNOW_BAUD
         self._led_count = led_count
-        self._baud_rate = baud_rate
         self._peer_mac = _mac_str_to_bytes(espnow_peer_mac)
         self._channel = espnow_channel
         self._serial = None
@@ -69,15 +75,12 @@ class ESPNowClient(LEDClient):
 
     async def connect(self) -> bool:
         try:
-            import serial as pyserial
+            self._serial = open_transport(self._port, baud_rate=self._baud_rate, timeout=1)
-        except ImportError:
+            await asyncio.to_thread(self._serial.open)
-            raise RuntimeError("pyserial is required for ESP-NOW devices: pip install pyserial")
+        except Exception as e:
+            logger.error("Failed to open ESP-NOW gateway %s: %s", self._port, e)
+            raise RuntimeError(f"Failed to open ESP-NOW gateway {self._port}: {e}")
 
-        loop = asyncio.get_event_loop()
-        self._serial = await loop.run_in_executor(
-            None,
-            lambda: pyserial.Serial(self._port, self._baud_rate, timeout=1),
-        )
         self._connected = True
         logger.info(
             "ESP-NOW client connected: port=%s baud=%d peer=%s channel=%d leds=%d",
@@ -90,9 +93,8 @@ class ESPNowClient(LEDClient):
         return True
 
     async def close(self) -> None:
-        if self._serial and self._serial.is_open:
+        if self._serial is not None and self._serial.is_open:
-            loop = asyncio.get_event_loop()
+            await asyncio.to_thread(self._serial.close)
-            await loop.run_in_executor(None, self._serial.close)
         self._serial = None
         self._connected = False
         logger.info("ESP-NOW client closed: port=%s", self._port)
@@ -150,14 +152,21 @@ class ESPNowClient(LEDClient):
         http_client,
         prev_health: Optional[DeviceHealth] = None,
     ) -> DeviceHealth:
-        """Check if the serial port is available."""
+        """Check if the serial port is available without opening it."""
+        port, _baud = parse_serial_url(url)
         try:
-            import serial as pyserial
+            if port_exists(port):
-
+                return DeviceHealth(
-            s = pyserial.Serial(url, timeout=0.1)
+                    online=True,
-            s.close()
+                    latency_ms=0.0,
+                    last_checked=datetime.now(timezone.utc),
+                    device_name=prev_health.device_name if prev_health else None,
+                    device_led_count=prev_health.device_led_count if prev_health else None,
+                )
             return DeviceHealth(
-                online=True, latency_ms=0.0, last_checked=datetime.now(timezone.utc)
+                online=False,
+                last_checked=datetime.now(timezone.utc),
+                error=f"Serial port {port} not found",
             )
         except Exception as e:
             return DeviceHealth(

server/src/ledgrab/core/devices/espnow_provider.py

@@ -2,24 +2,33 @@
 
 from typing import List
 
+from ledgrab.core.devices.espnow_client import ESPNowClient
 from ledgrab.core.devices.led_client import (
     DeviceHealth,
     DiscoveredDevice,
     LEDClient,
     LEDDeviceProvider,
 )
-from ledgrab.core.devices.espnow_client import ESPNowClient
+from ledgrab.core.devices.serial_transport import (
+    list_serial_ports,
+    parse_serial_url,
+    port_exists,
+)
 from ledgrab.utils import get_logger
 
 logger = get_logger(__name__)
 
+# Description fragments that commonly indicate an ESP32 gateway's USB bridge.
+_ESP_DESC_FRAGMENTS = ("cp210", "ch340", "esp", "ftdi", "usb serial")
+
 
 class ESPNowDeviceProvider(LEDDeviceProvider):
     """Provider for ESP-NOW LED devices via serial ESP32 gateway.
 
-    URL = serial port of the gateway ESP32 (e.g. COM3, /dev/ttyUSB0).
+    URL = serial port of the gateway ESP32 (COM3, /dev/ttyUSB0, or
-    Each device represents one remote ESP32 peer identified by MAC address.
+    usb:VID:PID on Android). Each device represents one remote ESP32
-    Multiple devices can share the same gateway (serial port).
+    peer identified by MAC address. Multiple devices can share the same
+    gateway (serial port).
     """
 
     @property
@@ -34,7 +43,7 @@ class ESPNowDeviceProvider(LEDDeviceProvider):
         return ESPNowClient(
             url,
             led_count=kwargs.get("led_count", 0),
-            baud_rate=kwargs.get("baud_rate", 921600),
+            baud_rate=kwargs.get("baud_rate"),
             espnow_peer_mac=kwargs.get("espnow_peer_mac", "FF:FF:FF:FF:FF:FF"),
             espnow_channel=kwargs.get("espnow_channel", 1),
         )
@@ -44,43 +53,45 @@ class ESPNowDeviceProvider(LEDDeviceProvider):
 
     async def validate_device(self, url: str) -> dict:
         """Validate serial port is accessible. LED count is manual."""
+        port, _baud = parse_serial_url(url)
         try:
-            import serial as pyserial
+            if not port_exists(port):
-
+                available = ", ".join(p.device for p in list_serial_ports()) or "none"
-            s = pyserial.Serial(url, timeout=0.5)
+                raise ValueError(f"Serial port {port} not found. Available ports: {available}")
-            s.close()
+        except ValueError:
-        except ImportError:
+            raise
-            raise ValueError("pyserial is required for ESP-NOW devices: pip install pyserial")
         except Exception as e:
-            raise ValueError(f"Cannot open serial port {url}: {e}")
+            raise ValueError(f"Failed to enumerate serial ports: {e}")
         return {}
 
     async def discover(self, timeout: float = 3.0) -> List[DiscoveredDevice]:
-        """Discover available serial ports that could be ESP32 gateways."""
+        """Discover serial ports that could be ESP32 gateways.
-        try:
-            import serial.tools.list_ports
 
-            ports = serial.tools.list_ports.comports()
+        Filters the host's serial-port list by description fragments
-            results = []
+        typical of ESP32 USB bridges (CP210x, CH340, FTDI, generic
+        "USB Serial"). On Android, the USB bridge already reports
+        descriptive names, so the same filter applies.
+        """
+        try:
+            ports = list_serial_ports()
+            results: List[DiscoveredDevice] = []
             for port in ports:
-                # Look for ESP32 USB descriptors
                 desc = (port.description or "").lower()
-                vid = port.vid or 0
+                if not any(frag in desc for frag in _ESP_DESC_FRAGMENTS):
-                # Common ESP32 USB VIDs: Espressif (0x303A), Silicon Labs CP210x (0x10C4),
+                    continue
-                # FTDI (0x0403), WCH CH340 (0x1A86)
+                results.append(
-                esp_vids = {0x303A, 0x10C4, 0x0403, 0x1A86}
+                    DiscoveredDevice(
-                if vid in esp_vids or "cp210" in desc or "ch340" in desc or "esp" in desc:
+                        name=f"ESP-NOW Gateway ({port.description})",
-                    results.append(
+                        url=port.device,
-                        DiscoveredDevice(
+                        device_type="espnow",
-                            name=f"ESP-NOW Gateway ({port.description})",
+                        ip="",
-                            url=port.device,
+                        mac="",
-                            device_type="espnow",
+                        led_count=None,
-                            ip="",
+                        version=None,
-                            mac="",
-                            led_count=None,
-                            version=None,
-                        )
                     )
+                )
+            logger.info("ESP-NOW gateway scan found %d candidate port(s)", len(results))
             return results
-        except ImportError:
+        except Exception as e:
+            logger.error("ESP-NOW gateway discovery failed: %s", e)
             return []