android-native-dev
Android native application development and UI design guide. Covers Material Design 3, Kotlin/Compose development, project configuration, accessibility, and build troubleshooting. Read this before Android native application development.
What this skill does
## 1. Project Scenario Assessment
Before starting development, assess the current project state:
| Scenario | Characteristics | Approach |
|----------|-----------------|----------|
| **Empty Directory** | No files present | Full initialization required, including Gradle Wrapper |
| **Has Gradle Wrapper** | `gradlew` and `gradle/wrapper/` exist | Use `./gradlew` directly for builds |
| **Android Studio Project** | Complete project structure, may lack wrapper | Check wrapper, run `gradle wrapper` if needed |
| **Incomplete Project** | Partial files present | Check missing files, complete configuration |
**Key Principles**:
- Before writing business logic, ensure `./gradlew assembleDebug` succeeds
- If `gradle.properties` is missing, create it first and configure AndroidX
### 1.1 Required Files Checklist
```
MyApp/
├── gradle.properties # Configure AndroidX and other settings
├── settings.gradle.kts
├── build.gradle.kts # Root level
├── gradle/wrapper/
│ └── gradle-wrapper.properties
├── app/
│ ├── build.gradle.kts # Module level
│ └── src/main/
│ ├── AndroidManifest.xml
│ ├── java/com/example/myapp/
│ │ └── MainActivity.kt
│ └── res/
│ ├── values/
│ │ ├── strings.xml
│ │ ├── colors.xml
│ │ └── themes.xml
│ └── mipmap-*/ # App icons
```
---
## 2. Project Configuration
### 2.1 gradle.properties
```properties
# Required configuration
android.useAndroidX=true
android.enableJetifier=true
# Build optimization
org.gradle.parallel=true
kotlin.code.style=official
# JVM memory settings (adjust based on project size)
# Small projects: 2048m, Medium: 4096m, Large: 8192m+
# org.gradle.jvmargs=-Xmx4096m -Dfile.encoding=UTF-8
```
> **Note**: If you encounter `OutOfMemoryError` during build, increase `-Xmx` value. Large projects with many dependencies may require 8GB or more.
### 2.2 Dependency Declaration Standards
```kotlin
dependencies {
// Use BOM to manage Compose versions
implementation(platform("androidx.compose:compose-bom:2024.02.00"))
implementation("androidx.compose.ui:ui")
implementation("androidx.compose.material3:material3")
// Activity & ViewModel
implementation("androidx.activity:activity-compose:1.8.2")
implementation("androidx.lifecycle:lifecycle-viewmodel-compose:2.7.0")
}
```
### 2.3 Build Variants & Product Flavors
Product Flavors allow you to create different versions of your app (e.g., free/paid, dev/staging/prod).
**Configuration in app/build.gradle.kts**:
```kotlin
android {
// Define flavor dimensions
flavorDimensions += "environment"
productFlavors {
create("dev") {
dimension = "environment"
applicationIdSuffix = ".dev"
versionNameSuffix = "-dev"
// Different config values per flavor
buildConfigField("String", "API_BASE_URL", "\"https://dev-api.example.com\"")
buildConfigField("Boolean", "ENABLE_LOGGING", "true")
// Different resources
resValue("string", "app_name", "MyApp Dev")
}
create("staging") {
dimension = "environment"
applicationIdSuffix = ".staging"
versionNameSuffix = "-staging"
buildConfigField("String", "API_BASE_URL", "\"https://staging-api.example.com\"")
buildConfigField("Boolean", "ENABLE_LOGGING", "true")
resValue("string", "app_name", "MyApp Staging")
}
create("prod") {
dimension = "environment"
// No suffix for production
buildConfigField("String", "API_BASE_URL", "\"https://api.example.com\"")
buildConfigField("Boolean", "ENABLE_LOGGING", "false")
resValue("string", "app_name", "MyApp")
}
}
buildTypes {
debug {
isDebuggable = true
isMinifyEnabled = false
}
release {
isDebuggable = false
isMinifyEnabled = true
proguardFiles(getDefaultProguardFile("proguard-android-optimize.txt"), "proguard-rules.pro")
}
}
}
```
**Build Variant Naming**: `{flavor}{BuildType}` → e.g., `devDebug`, `prodRelease`
**Gradle Build Commands**:
```bash
# List all available build variants
./gradlew tasks --group="build"
# Build specific variant (flavor + buildType)
./gradlew assembleDevDebug # Dev flavor, Debug build
./gradlew assembleStagingDebug # Staging flavor, Debug build
./gradlew assembleProdRelease # Prod flavor, Release build
# Build all variants of a specific flavor
./gradlew assembleDev # All Dev variants (debug + release)
./gradlew assembleProd # All Prod variants
# Build all variants of a specific build type
./gradlew assembleDebug # All flavors, Debug build
./gradlew assembleRelease # All flavors, Release build
# Install specific variant to device
./gradlew installDevDebug
./gradlew installProdRelease
# Build and install in one command
./gradlew installDevDebug && adb shell am start -n com.example.myapp.dev/.MainActivity
```
**Access BuildConfig in Code**:
> **Note**: Starting from AGP 8.0, `BuildConfig` is no longer generated by default. You must explicitly enable it in your `build.gradle.kts`:
> ```kotlin
> android {
> buildFeatures {
> buildConfig = true
> }
> }
> ```
```kotlin
// Use build config values in your code
val apiUrl = BuildConfig.API_BASE_URL
val isLoggingEnabled = BuildConfig.ENABLE_LOGGING
if (BuildConfig.DEBUG) {
// Debug-only code
}
```
**Flavor-Specific Source Sets**:
```
app/src/
├── main/ # Shared code for all flavors
├── dev/ # Dev-only code and resources
│ ├── java/
│ └── res/
├── staging/ # Staging-only code and resources
├── prod/ # Prod-only code and resources
├── debug/ # Debug build type code
└── release/ # Release build type code
```
**Multiple Flavor Dimensions** (e.g., environment + tier):
```kotlin
android {
flavorDimensions += listOf("environment", "tier")
productFlavors {
create("dev") { dimension = "environment" }
create("prod") { dimension = "environment" }
create("free") { dimension = "tier" }
create("paid") { dimension = "tier" }
}
}
// Results in: devFreeDebug, devPaidDebug, prodFreeRelease, etc.
```
---
## 3. Kotlin Development Standards
### 3.1 Naming Conventions
| Type | Convention | Example |
|------|------------|---------|
| Class/Interface | PascalCase | `UserRepository`, `MainActivity` |
| Function/Variable | camelCase | `getUserName()`, `isLoading` |
| Constant | SCREAMING_SNAKE | `MAX_RETRY_COUNT` |
| Package | lowercase | `com.example.myapp` |
| Composable | PascalCase | `@Composable fun UserCard()` |
### 3.2 Code Standards (Important)
**Null Safety**:
```kotlin
// ❌ Avoid: Non-null assertion !! (may crash)
val name = user!!.name
// ✅ Recommended: Safe call + default value
val name = user?.name ?: "Unknown"
// ✅ Recommended: let handling
user?.let { processUser(it) }
```
**Exception Handling**:
```kotlin
// ❌ Avoid: Random try-catch in business layer swallowing exceptions
fun loadData() {
try {
val data = api.fetch()
} catch (e: Exception) {
// Swallowing exception, hard to debug
}
}
// ✅ Recommended: Let exceptions propagate, handle at appropriate layer
suspend fun loadData(): Result<Data> {
return try {
Result.success(api.fetch())
} catch (e: Exception) {
Result.failure(e) // Wrap and return, let caller decide handling
}
}
// ✅ Recommended: Unified handling in ViewModel
viewModelScope.launch {
runCatching { repository.loadData() }
.onSuccess { _uiState.value = UiState.Success(it) }
.onFailure { _uiState.value = UiState.Error(it.message) }
}
```
### 3.3 Threading Related in Design
contribute
IncludedLocal-only OSS contribution command center. Auto-refreshes the user's in-flight PR and issue state on invoke so conversations start with full context — no need to brief Claude on what's in flight. Helps the user find issues to contribute to on GitHub, builds per-repo dossiers of what each upstream expects (CLA, DCO, branch convention, AI policy, draft-first, review bots, issue templates), runs deterministic gates before any external action so AI-assisted contributions don't reach maintainers as slop. State is markdown-only: candidate files at ~/.contribute-system/candidates/, repo dossiers at ~/.contribute-system/research/, append-only event log at ~/.contribute-system/log.jsonl. No database, no cloud calls. Use when the user asks about their PRs / issues / contributions, wants to find new work to take on, claim an issue, build/refresh a repo's dossier, or draft a Design Issue or PR. Trigger with "/contribute", "what's my PR status", "find a contribution", "claim issue X", "draft a Design Issue for Y", "refresh dossier for Z".
architectural-analysis
IncludedUser-triggered deep architectural analysis of a codebase or scoped subtree across eight modes — information architecture, data flow, integration points, UI surfaces, interaction patterns, data model, control flow, and failure modes. This skill should be used when the user asks to "diagram this codebase," "map the architecture," "show the data flow," "give me an ERD," "trace control flow," "find the integration points," "verify the layout pattern," "audit the UX architecture," or any similar request whose primary deliverable is mermaid diagrams plus cited reports under docs/architecture/. Dispatches haiku/sonnet sub-agents in parallel for per-mode exploration, then verifies every citation mechanically before any node lands in a diagram. Not for one-off prose explanations of code (use code-explanation) or for high-level system design from scratch (use system-design).
mcp
IncludedModel Context Protocol (MCP) server development and tool management. Languages: Python, TypeScript. Capabilities: build MCP servers, integrate external APIs, discover/execute MCP tools, manage multi-server configs, design agent-centric tools. Actions: create, build, integrate, discover, execute, configure MCP servers/tools. Keywords: MCP, Model Context Protocol, MCP server, MCP tool, stdio transport, SSE transport, tool discovery, resource provider, prompt template, external API integration, Gemini CLI MCP, Claude MCP, agent tools, tool execution, server config. Use when: building MCP servers, integrating external APIs as MCP tools, discovering available MCP tools, executing MCP capabilities, configuring multi-server setups, designing tools for AI agents.
react-native-skia
IncludedDesign, build, debug, and optimise high-polish animated graphics in React Native or Expo using @shopify/react-native-skia, Reanimated, and Gesture Handler. Use when the user wants canvas-driven UI, shaders, paths, rich text, image filters, sprite fields, Skottie, video frames, snapshots, web CanvasKit setup, or performance tuning for custom motion-heavy elements such as loaders, hero art, cards, charts, progress indicators, particle systems, or gesture-driven surfaces. Also use when the user asks for fluid, glow, glass, blob, parallax, 60fps/120fps, or GPU-friendly animated effects in React Native, even if they do not explicitly say "Skia". Do not use for ordinary form/layout work with standard views.
plaid
IncludedProduct Led AI Development — guides founders from idea to launched product. Six capabilities: Idea (discover a product idea), Validate (pressure-test the idea against fatal flaws, problem reality, competition, and 2-week MVP feasibility), Plan (vision intake + document generation), Design (translate image references into a design.md spec), Launch (go-to-market strategy), and Build (roadmap execution). Use when someone says "PLAID", "plaid idea", "help me find an idea", "product idea", "idea from my business", "idea from my expertise", "plaid validate", "validate my idea", "pressure-test", "is this idea good", "find fatal flaws", "validate the problem", "plan a product", "define my vision", "generate a PRD", "product strategy", "plaid design", "design from image", "translate image to design", "create design.md", "extract design tokens", "plaid launch", "go-to-market", "launch plan", "GTM strategy", "launch playbook", "plaid build", "build the app", "start building", or "execute the roadmap".
nextjs-framer-motion-animations
IncludedAdds production-safe Motion for React or Framer Motion animations to Next.js apps, including reveal, hover and tap micro-interactions, whileInView, stagger, AnimatePresence, layout and layoutId transitions, reorder, scroll-linked UI, and lightweight route-content transitions. Use when the user asks to add, refactor, or debug Motion or Framer Motion in App Router or Pages Router codebases, especially around server/client boundaries, reduced motion, LazyMotion, bundle size, hydration, or route transitions. Avoid for GSAP-style timelines, WebGL or 3D scenes, heavy scroll storytelling, or CSS-only effects unless Motion is explicitly requested.