Add --media-scan to register pushed files with MediaStore

[eret9616]

Refs #6851 (also discussed in #6200).

Pushed files (especially images dragged into the window) don't show in the gallery: MediaStore isn't notified and most vendor galleries filter /sdcard/Download/ out. See the linked issue for the full reasoning.

This adds an opt-in --media-scan:

• routes image/video extensions to /sdcard/Pictures/ and /sdcard/Movies/ when --push-target is not set
• runs cmd media_scanner scan-file after each push (Android 8+), with am broadcast MEDIA_SCANNER_SCAN_FILE as fallback for ROMs that strip the shell service (OnePlus / ColorOS confirmed — first call returns Can't find service)
• explicit --push-target keeps full control
• default off, no behavior change for existing users

Tested on OnePlus PGZ110 (Android 13), drag-and-drop a .png shows up in the gallery within seconds.

[rom1v]

On a Pixel 8 with Android 16:

$ adb shell cmd media_scanner 
cmd: Can't find service: media_scanner

[eret9616]

Huh, didn't realize stock Android dropped it too — thought it was just OEM ROMs. I'll fix the description and the comment in the code.

The PR already falls back to am broadcast MEDIA_SCANNER_SCAN_FILE if the first call fails — that's how it works on my OnePlus. But broadcast got deprecated in Android 12, so I don't know if it still works on Pixel 8 / Android 16, and I don't have either device.

@rom1v

Could you try this on the Pixel 8 and see if the gallery picks it up?

adb shell am broadcast -a android.intent.action.MEDIA_SCANNER_SCAN_FILE -d file:///sdcard/Pictures/foo.jpg

If that's also dead, only path I see is going through MediaStore from the server side (content insert or similar). Wanted to confirm the fallback status first.

[yume-chan]

https://developer.android.com/reference/android/media/MediaScannerConnection#scanFile(android.content.Context,%20java.lang.String[],%20java.lang.String[],%20android.media.MediaScannerConnection.OnScanCompletedListener)

public static void scanFile (Context context, 
                String[] paths, 
                String[] mimeTypes, 
                MediaScannerConnection.OnScanCompletedListener callback)

The API itself was added in Android 2.2, I only tested it on Andorid 13 and Android 16. context can be fake context, mimeTypes and callback can be null (in fact mimeTypes is straightly ignored in recent Android versions)

Also mentioned by Context#getExternalFilesDir: https://developer.android.com/reference/android/content/Context#:~:text=Though%20these%20files%20are%20not%20automatically%20scanned%20by%20the%20media%20scanner%2C%20you%20can%20explicitly%20add%20them%20to%20the%20media%20database%20with%20MediaScannerConnection.scanFile.

[eret9616]

@yume-chan thanks, went with your suggestion. Server now handles a new SCAN_FILE control message and calls ContentResolver.call(MediaStore.AUTHORITY, "scan_file", ...) through the FakeContext. (MediaStore.scanFile() itself is hide on SDK 36, so calling the provider method directly — same path internally.)

Works on my OnePlus 13. @rom1v mind giving it another go on the Pixel when you get a chance?

[rom1v]

This works on a Pixel 8:

adb push file.jpg /sdcard/Download
adb shell am broadcast -a android.intent.action.MEDIA_SCANNER_SCAN_FILE -d file:///sdcard/Download

I also found an old commit 190a90f (on branch scan_media). I don't remember why I abandoned it, probably because it did not work reliably across devices.

But if it works now using MediaStore.scanFile(), great 👍

However, I would prefer not to auto-detect images/videos to change the target directory, just push to "push-target" whatever it is, then scan this directory.

Also, if there are no downsides, I think an option --media-scan is not necessary, just do it unconditionally.

[eret9616]

Done in fda146c — both the routing and the --media-scan flag are gone, scan runs unconditionally now.

Tested on a Pixel 8 emulator (Android 17) and the OnePlus PGZ110 from the original report, both fine.

Doc updated accordingly.

[rom1v]

Thank you. 👍

I made some changes, the resulting branch is scan-media.3.

Firstly, I removed the build_remote_path() to guess the target file, since the actual file path depends on the directories on the device.

For example:

adb push a /sdcard/Download/a

sometimes creates a file /sdcard/Download/a, but if /sdcard/Download/a was already an existing directory, it creates /sdcard/Download/a/a.

Instead, for simplicity, I always request to scan the "push target" directory (by default /sdcard/Download).

I also added unit tests for the control message serialization.

---

One remaining problem on:

Bundle out = FakeContext.get().getContentResolver().call(MediaStore.AUTHORITY, "scan_file", path, null);

Call requires API level 29 (current min is 21): android.content.ContentResolver#call

so it does not work on older versions (tested on Android 6).

We should probably use (the equivalent of):

adb shell am broadcast -a android.intent.action.MEDIA_SCANNER_SCAN_FILE -d file:///sdcard/Download

(like in 190a90f)

as a fallback, or even as the main method (since it still works on Android 16).

[anotheruserofgithub]

On scan-media.3:

• control_msg.c L350: scan media -> scan file
• file_pusher.h L27: SCAN_MEDIA -> SCAN_FILE