You can set that up without leaving your editor. Tester Exchange has a remote MCP server, so your coding agent can list the app, open the test and track progress for you.

1. Get an API key

Sign in at testerexchange.com and create a key at testerexchange.com/api. That page also has one-click Cursor and VS Code buttons with your key filled in. Without a key, only the public tools (about, pricing, platform stats) work.

2. Connect your agent

Cursor (~/.cursor/mcp.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "tester-exchange": {
      "url": "https://vvrlxzbngxfxddywidoq.supabase.co/functions/v1/mcp",
      "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer tx_YOUR_TOKEN" }
    }
  }
}

Claude Code:

claude mcp add --transport http tester-exchange \
  https://vvrlxzbngxfxddywidoq.supabase.co/functions/v1/mcp \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer tx_YOUR_TOKEN"

VS Code (.vscode/mcp.json):

{
  "servers": {
    "tester-exchange": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://vvrlxzbngxfxddywidoq.supabase.co/functions/v1/mcp",
      "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer tx_YOUR_TOKEN" }
    }
  }
}

Windsurf, Gemini CLI and other clients: snippets are on the agents page. Clients that only accept a URL can pass ?token=tx_YOUR_TOKEN.

3. Ask for testers

Then just tell your agent something like:

Get 12 testers for com.example.myapp

The agent calls get_testers, which adds the app, opens its test, applies your credits and returns what's left to do (for example, adding the testers' Google group to your closed-testing track in Play Console).

Useful follow-ups:

• campaign_report: testers, daily activity, feedback, and data for the production-access questions
• start_friends_test: free; friends join from your share link, and fill_from_exchange fills only the seats they leave open
• my_apps / my_account: status and credits

Free or paid

The default is a free swap: you install other developers' apps from your phone, and the same number install yours. If you'd rather not test, the agent can return checkout links for credits (buy_credits_links); a human always completes the payment.

After 14 days

Once 12+ testers have stayed opted in for 14 days, apply for production access in Play Console. This guide covers when you can apply.

Questions or a client that doesn't work? Ask in the comments.

For a solo developer this is the hardest part of shipping an Android app. Here's how the rule works and how to get through it without paying anyone.

What Google actually counts

• 12 testers opted in to your closed testing track (not just invited).
• 14 continuous days with at least 12 of them still opted in. If people leave partway through, your count can drop below 12, so drop-outs are the real risk.
• Then you answer a short questionnaire about your test and apply for production access.

Always check the current wording in the Play Console help, because Google updates it.

Why the usual tricks fail

• Friends and family: most don't have Android phones, forget to opt in, or uninstall after two days.
• Reddit / Discord swap threads: people promise to test, then disappear. Nobody tracks who actually stayed.
• Random paid gigs: you pay, testers vanish on day 3, and you start over.

The common problem: nobody is accountable for staying opted in for 14 days.

The free method: swap tests with other developers

Every developer stuck on this rule needs the same thing you do. So test each other's apps:

1. You add your app's closed-testing link.
2. You opt in to and install other developers' apps from your phone.
3. The same number of developers opt in to yours.
4. Anyone who drops out gets replaced, so your count stays at 12+.

We built Tester Exchange to run exactly this swap:

• Joining a test is one tap from your phone's browser.
• Installs and opt-ins are tracked, and drop-outs are replaced automatically.
• It's free on the test-for-test basis. If you'd rather not test other apps, there's a paid option.
• It works in 55 languages.

Doing it from your AI coding agent

If you build with Cursor, Claude Code, Windsurf or another MCP client, you can set this up without leaving the editor. Tester Exchange has a remote MCP server: one get_testers call with your package name adds the app, opens the test and tells you what steps are left. Config snippets for each client are on the agents page.

After 14 days

Once you have had 12+ testers for 14 days, answer the production-access questions honestly: what you tested, what feedback you got, what you changed. This guide covers when you can apply.

Good luck shipping. If you have questions about closed testing, ask in the comments.