Gradle

Gradle Build System

Rule 1: Version Catalog is the only place for versions

# gradle/libs.versions.toml — single source of truth
[versions]
agp = "8.5.2"
kotlin = "2.0.21"
ksp = "2.0.21-1.0.25"

[libraries]
androidx-core-ktx = { group = "androidx.core", name = "core-ktx", version.ref = "coreKtx" }

[plugins]
android-application = { id = "com.android.application", version.ref = "agp" }
kotlin-android = { id = "org.jetbrains.kotlin.android", version.ref = "kotlin" }

// ✅ Use catalog aliases everywhere — never hardcode versions
implementation(libs.androidx.core.ktx)
plugins { alias(libs.plugins.android.application) }

// ❌ Hardcoded versions anywhere in build files
implementation("androidx.core:core-ktx:1.13.1")

Rule 2: Convention Plugins for multi-module consistency

// buildSrc/src/main/kotlin/AndroidLibraryConventionPlugin.kt
class AndroidLibraryConventionPlugin : Plugin {
    override fun apply(target: Project) = with(target) {
        pluginManager.apply("com.android.library")
        pluginManager.apply("org.jetbrains.kotlin.android")

        extensions.configure {
            compileSdk = 35
            defaultConfig.minSdk = 24
            compileOptions {
                sourceCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_17
                targetCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_17
            }
        }
    }
}

// buildSrc/build.gradle.kts
plugins { `kotlin-dsl` }
dependencies {
    implementation(libs.android.gradlePlugin)
    implementation(libs.kotlin.gradlePlugin)
}

// Any feature module build.gradle.kts
plugins {
    id("convention.android.library")   // one line instead of 20
}

Rule 3: Build variants for environments

// ✅ Product flavors for different environments
android {
    flavorDimensions += "environment"

    productFlavors {
        create("dev") {
            dimension = "environment"
            applicationIdSuffix = ".dev"
            versionNameSuffix = "-dev"
            buildConfigField("String", "BASE_URL", "\"https://dev-api.myapp.com/\"")
        }
        create("staging") {
            dimension = "environment"
            applicationIdSuffix = ".staging"
            versionNameSuffix = "-staging"
            buildConfigField("String", "BASE_URL", "\"https://staging-api.myapp.com/\"")
        }
        create("prod") {
            dimension = "environment"
            buildConfigField("String", "BASE_URL", "\"https://api.myapp.com/\"")
        }
    }
}
// Results in: devDebug, devRelease, stagingDebug, stagingRelease, prodDebug, prodRelease

Rule 4: Signing config

// ✅ Read signing from environment — never commit keystore or passwords
android {
    signingConfigs {
        create("release") {
            val keystorePath = System.getenv("KEYSTORE_PATH") ?: ""
            val keystorePassword = System.getenv("KEYSTORE_PASSWORD") ?: ""
            val keyAlias = System.getenv("KEY_ALIAS") ?: ""
            val keyPassword = System.getenv("KEY_PASSWORD") ?: ""

            if (keystorePath.isNotEmpty()) {
                storeFile = file(keystorePath)
                storePassword = keystorePassword
                this.keyAlias = keyAlias
                this.keyPassword = keyPassword
            }
        }
    }
    buildTypes {
        release {
            signingConfig = signingConfigs.getByName("release")
        }
    }
}

Rule 5: Build performance — always enabled

# gradle.properties
org.gradle.jvmargs=-Xmx4096m -XX:+UseParallelGC
org.gradle.configuration-cache=true
org.gradle.parallel=true
org.gradle.caching=true
android.nonTransitiveRClass=true
android.enableR8.fullMode=true

Rule 6: KSP migration from kapt

// ❌ kapt — slow, requires Java stub generation
plugins { id("kotlin-kapt") }
kapt(libs.hilt.compiler)
kapt(libs.room.compiler)

// ✅ KSP — 2-3× faster, Kotlin-native
plugins { alias(libs.plugins.ksp) }
ksp(libs.hilt.compiler)
ksp(libs.room.compiler)

Common Mistakes

❌ Version numbers in build files — always use libs.* catalog references ❌ kapt — migrate to ksp for all annotation processors ❌ Missing org.gradle.configuration-cache=true — 30-50% slower builds ❌ Root build.gradle.kts with dependencies — root is plugins only ❌ Hardcoded signing credentials — read from environment variables ❌ No product flavors — use dev/staging/prod for env-specific config

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: piyushverma0
• Source: piyushverma0/android-agent-skills
• License: MIT
• Homepage: https://android-agent-skills.vercel.app

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.