diff --git a/.github/workflows/replays-manual.yml b/.github/workflows/replays-manual.yml
index 59c76e1d2c..63f22709d6 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/replays-manual.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/replays-manual.yml
@@ -58,25 +58,7 @@ jobs:
           profile: pixel_7
           target: google_apis_playstore
           emulator-options: -no-window -gpu swiftshader_indirect -no-snapshot -noaudio -no-boot-anim -no-metrics
-          script: |
-            # android-emulator-runner executes this with /usr/bin/sh, which is dash on
-            # ubuntu runners and rejects `-o pipefail`. The serial assignment below is
-            # validated by the `test -n` guard instead.
-            set -eu
-            ANDROID_SERIAL="$(adb devices | awk 'NR > 1 && $2 == "device" { print $1; exit }')"
-            test -n "$ANDROID_SERIAL"
-            BOOT_FINISHED_AT="$(date +%s)"
-            pnpm gate build
-            pnpm clean:daemon
-            adb -s "$ANDROID_SERIAL" install -r "${{ steps.fixture-app.outputs.apk-path }}"
-            node --experimental-strip-types src/bin.ts replay examples/test-app/replays/drag-android.ad --platform android --serial "$ANDROID_SERIAL" --session nightly-android-target-drag --json
-            pnpm clean:daemon
-            FULL_STARTED_AT="$(date +%s)"
-            AGENT_DEVICE_ANDROID_E2E=1 AGENT_DEVICE_ANDROID_E2E_TIER=full AGENT_DEVICE_ANDROID_SERIAL="$ANDROID_SERIAL" AGENT_DEVICE_FIXTURE_APP_PATH="${{ steps.fixture-app.outputs.apk-path }}" AGENT_DEVICE_FIXTURE_APP_ID="${{ steps.fixture-app.outputs.app-id }}" node --experimental-strip-types scripts/node-test-tmpdir.ts --test test/integration/smoke-android-emulator.test.ts
-            FULL_FINISHED_AT="$(date +%s)"
-            echo "Android setup before emulator: $((BOOT_FINISHED_AT - ${{ steps.android-setup.outputs.seconds }}))s"
-            echo "Android full scenario wall time: $((FULL_FINISHED_AT - FULL_STARTED_AT))s"
-            pnpm gate replay-android --retries 2 --artifacts-dir test/artifacts/replays-android --report-junit test/artifacts/replays-android.junit.xml
+          script: sh scripts/replays/android-manual.sh "${{ steps.fixture-app.outputs.apk-path }}" "${{ steps.fixture-app.outputs.app-id }}" "${{ steps.android-setup.outputs.seconds }}"
 
       - name: Upload Android artifacts
         if: always()
diff --git a/scripts/replays/android-manual.sh b/scripts/replays/android-manual.sh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..3f8c418fdd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/replays/android-manual.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+set -eu
+
+FIXTURE_APK="$1"
+FIXTURE_APP_ID="$2"
+SETUP_STARTED_AT="$3"
+test -n "$ANDROID_SERIAL"
+BOOT_FINISHED_AT="$(date +%s)"
+
+pnpm gate build
+pnpm clean:daemon
+adb -s "$ANDROID_SERIAL" install -r "$FIXTURE_APK"
+node --experimental-strip-types src/bin.ts replay examples/test-app/replays/drag-android.ad --platform android --serial "$ANDROID_SERIAL" --session nightly-android-target-drag --json
+pnpm clean:daemon
+
+FULL_STARTED_AT="$(date +%s)"
+FULL_STATUS=0
+AGENT_DEVICE_ANDROID_E2E=1 AGENT_DEVICE_ANDROID_E2E_TIER=full AGENT_DEVICE_ANDROID_SERIAL="$ANDROID_SERIAL" AGENT_DEVICE_FIXTURE_APP_PATH="$FIXTURE_APK" AGENT_DEVICE_FIXTURE_APP_ID="$FIXTURE_APP_ID" node --experimental-strip-types scripts/node-test-tmpdir.ts --test test/integration/smoke-android-emulator.test.ts || FULL_STATUS=$?
+FULL_FINISHED_AT="$(date +%s)"
+echo "Android setup before emulator: $((BOOT_FINISHED_AT - SETUP_STARTED_AT))s"
+echo "Android full scenario wall time: $((FULL_FINISHED_AT - FULL_STARTED_AT))s"
+test "$FULL_STATUS" -eq 0 || exit "$FULL_STATUS"
+pnpm gate replay-android --retries 2 --artifacts-dir test/artifacts/replays-android --report-junit test/artifacts/replays-android.junit.xml
diff --git a/scripts/replays/android-manual.test.ts b/scripts/replays/android-manual.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..8d831d3d9c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/replays/android-manual.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,108 @@
+import fs from 'node:fs';
+import path from 'node:path';
+import { parse } from 'yaml';
+import { expect, test } from 'vitest';
+import { runCmdSync } from '@agent-device/host-kit/command';
+import { mkdtempForTest } from '@agent-device/test-kit/tmp-dir';
+
+const pipeline = (serial: string) => [
+  'pnpm|gate build',
+  'pnpm|clean:daemon',
+  `adb|-s ${serial} install -r fixture.apk`,
+  `node|--experimental-strip-types src/bin.ts replay examples/test-app/replays/drag-android.ad --platform android --serial ${serial} --session nightly-android-target-drag --json`,
+  'pnpm|clean:daemon',
+  'node|--experimental-strip-types scripts/node-test-tmpdir.ts --test test/integration/smoke-android-emulator.test.ts',
+  `env|1|full|${serial}|fixture.apk|com.fixture`,
+  'pnpm|gate replay-android --retries 2 --artifacts-dir test/artifacts/replays-android --report-junit test/artifacts/replays-android.junit.xml',
+];
+
+test.each([
+  { serial: 'emulator-7000', fullExit: 0 },
+  { serial: 'emulator-8100', fullExit: 0 },
+  { serial: 'emulator-8100', fullExit: 13 },
+])(
+  'manual action preserves serial $serial and full-suite status $fullExit with timing',
+  async ({ serial, fullExit }) => {
+    const cwd = await mkdtempForTest('android-manual-shell-');
+    const bin = path.join(cwd, 'bin');
+    fs.mkdirSync(bin);
+    const tool = (name: string, body: string) =>
+      fs.writeFileSync(path.join(bin, name), `#!/bin/sh\n${body}\n`, { mode: 0o755 });
+    tool(
+      'pnpm',
+      String.raw`printf 'pnpm|%s\n' "$*" >> calls.log
+case "$1 $2" in
+ 'gate build') exit "$BUILD_EXIT";;
+ 'gate replay-android') exit "$REPLAY_EXIT";;
+esac`,
+    );
+    tool(
+      'adb',
+      String.raw`if [ "$1" = devices ]; then
+ printf 'List of devices attached\n%s\tdevice\n' "$EXPECTED_SERIAL"
+ exit 0
+fi
+printf 'adb|%s\n' "$*" >> calls.log
+test "$1" = -s && test "$2" = "$EXPECTED_SERIAL" || exit 42
+exit "$INSTALL_EXIT"`,
+    );
+    tool(
+      'node',
+      String.raw`printf 'node|%s\n' "$*" >> calls.log
+if [ "$3" = replay ]; then exit "$DRAG_EXIT"; fi
+printf 'env|%s|%s|%s|%s|%s\n' "$AGENT_DEVICE_ANDROID_E2E" "$AGENT_DEVICE_ANDROID_E2E_TIER" "$AGENT_DEVICE_ANDROID_SERIAL" "$AGENT_DEVICE_FIXTURE_APP_PATH" "$AGENT_DEVICE_FIXTURE_APP_ID" >> calls.log
+exit "$FULL_EXIT"`,
+    );
+    tool(
+      'date',
+      String.raw`case "$(cat clock-index 2>/dev/null || echo 0)" in
+ 0) echo 100; echo 1 > clock-index;;
+ 1) echo 120; echo 2 > clock-index;;
+ *) echo 145;;
+esac`,
+    );
+    fs.mkdirSync(path.join(cwd, 'scripts/replays'), { recursive: true });
+    fs.symlinkSync(
+      path.resolve('scripts/replays/android-manual.sh'),
+      path.join(cwd, 'scripts/replays/android-manual.sh'),
+    );
+    const workflow = parse(fs.readFileSync('.github/workflows/replays-manual.yml', 'utf8'));
+    const runner = workflow.jobs['manual-android'].steps.find((step: { uses?: string }) =>
+      step.uses?.startsWith('reactivecircus/android-emulator-runner@'),
+    );
+    const script: string = runner.with.script
+      .replaceAll('${{ steps.fixture-app.outputs.apk-path }}', 'fixture.apk')
+      .replaceAll('${{ steps.fixture-app.outputs.app-id }}', 'com.fixture')
+      .replaceAll('${{ steps.android-setup.outputs.seconds }}', '90');
+    let result = { exitCode: 0, stderr: '', stdout: '' };
+    let stdout = '';
+
+    for (const command of script.split('\n').map((line) => line.trim())) {
+      if (!command || command.startsWith('#')) continue;
+      result = runCmdSync('sh', ['-c', command], {
+        cwd,
+        allowFailure: true,
+        timeoutMs: 10_000,
+        env: {
+          PATH: `${bin}:${process.env.PATH}`,
+          ANDROID_SERIAL: serial,
+          EXPECTED_SERIAL: serial,
+          BUILD_EXIT: '0',
+          INSTALL_EXIT: '0',
+          DRAG_EXIT: '0',
+          FULL_EXIT: String(fullExit),
+          REPLAY_EXIT: '0',
+        },
+      });
+      stdout += result.stdout;
+      if (result.exitCode !== 0) break;
+    }
+    expect(result.exitCode, result.stderr).toBe(fullExit);
+    const expected = pipeline(serial);
+    expect(fs.readFileSync(path.join(cwd, 'calls.log'), 'utf8').trim().split('\n')).toEqual(
+      fullExit === 0 ? expected : expected.slice(0, -1),
+    );
+    expect(stdout).toContain('Android setup before emulator: 10s');
+    expect(stdout).toContain('Android full scenario wall time: 25s');
+  },
+);
diff --git a/vitest.config.ts b/vitest.config.ts
index a799f3723b..030e973b81 100644
--- a/vitest.config.ts
+++ b/vitest.config.ts
@@ -109,6 +109,7 @@ export default defineConfig({
             // The subprocess watchdog self-check: spawns a real node subprocess per case,
             // and one hangs on purpose (#1414).
             'scripts/fuzz/harness.test.ts',
+            'scripts/replays/android-manual.test.ts',
             // The validation fuzz generators' expectation gates (#1781 B2): in-process, no
             // subprocess or worker, so they ride the fast lane unlike their serialized siblings.
             'scripts/fuzz/validation-arbitraries.test.ts',