diff --git a/packages/webdriver-utils/src/providers/automateProvider.js b/packages/webdriver-utils/src/providers/automateProvider.js
index 10f980624..fbb8fa85b 100644
--- a/packages/webdriver-utils/src/providers/automateProvider.js
+++ b/packages/webdriver-utils/src/providers/automateProvider.js
@@ -13,11 +13,25 @@ export default class AutomateProvider extends GenericProvider {
     return commandExecutorUrl.includes(process.env.AA_DOMAIN || 'browserstack');
   }
 
+  // Automate capture reads the screen size, DPR and regions through JavaScript, which a
+  // native app context cannot run (App Automate answers 405 Method Not Allowed). Browser
+  // sessions always carry a browserName; native ones carry an app identifier instead.
+  static isNativeAppSession(caps) {
+    if (!caps || caps.browserName) return false;
+    const desired = caps.desired || {};
+    return ['app', 'appium:app', 'appPackage', 'bundleId', 'bundleID']
+      .some(key => caps[key] || desired[key]);
+  }
+
   async createDriver() {
     this.driver = new Driver(this.sessionId, this.commandExecutorUrl, this.capabilities);
     log.debug(`Passed capabilities -> ${JSON.stringify(this.capabilities)}`);
     const caps = await this.driver.getCapabilites();
     log.debug(`Fetched capabilities -> ${JSON.stringify(caps)}`);
+    if (AutomateProvider.isNativeAppSession(caps)) {
+      throw new Error('Percy on Automate captures browser sessions; this is a native app session. ' +
+        'Use App Percy for native apps (an app project token with `percy app:exec`).');
+    }
     this.metaData = MetaDataResolver.resolve(this.driver, caps, this.capabilities);
   }
 
diff --git a/packages/webdriver-utils/test/providers/automateProvider.test.js b/packages/webdriver-utils/test/providers/automateProvider.test.js
index ba25977d3..0c0ee2020 100644
--- a/packages/webdriver-utils/test/providers/automateProvider.test.js
+++ b/packages/webdriver-utils/test/providers/automateProvider.test.js
@@ -70,6 +70,41 @@ describe('AutomateProvider', () => {
     });
   });
 
+  describe('createDriver on a native app session', () => {
+    const nativeError = 'Percy on Automate captures browser sessions; this is a native app session. ' +
+      'Use App Percy for native apps (an app project token with `percy app:exec`).';
+
+    it('rejects an Android native session', async () => {
+      spyOn(Driver.prototype, 'getCapabilites').and.returnValue(Promise.resolve({
+        platformName: 'Android', appPackage: 'org.wikipedia.alpha', automationName: 'uiautomator2'
+      }));
+      await expectAsync(new AutomateProvider(args).createDriver()).toBeRejectedWithError(nativeError);
+    });
+
+    it('rejects an iOS native session reporting an empty browserName', async () => {
+      spyOn(Driver.prototype, 'getCapabilites').and.returnValue(Promise.resolve({
+        platformName: 'iOS', browserName: '', desired: { bundleId: 'com.example.app' }
+      }));
+      await expectAsync(new AutomateProvider(args).createDriver()).toBeRejectedWithError(nativeError);
+    });
+
+    it('accepts a mobile browser session', async () => {
+      spyOn(Driver.prototype, 'getCapabilites').and.returnValue(Promise.resolve({
+        platformName: 'Android', browserName: 'chrome', appPackage: 'com.android.chrome'
+      }));
+      const automateProvider = new AutomateProvider(args);
+      await automateProvider.createDriver();
+      expect(automateProvider.metaData).toBeDefined();
+    });
+
+    it('accepts a session without browserName or an app identifier', async () => {
+      spyOn(Driver.prototype, 'getCapabilites').and.returnValue(Promise.resolve({ platformName: 'Android' }));
+      const automateProvider = new AutomateProvider(args);
+      await automateProvider.createDriver();
+      expect(automateProvider.metaData).toBeDefined();
+    });
+  });
+
   describe('supports', () => {
     it('returns true for browserstack automate', () => {
       expect(AutomateProvider.supports('http:browserstack')).toEqual(true);