Android Release Build Setup

This skill orchestrates complete Android release build configuration by running three atomic skills in sequence.

What This Does

Sets up everything needed for Android release builds:

1. Keystore Generation – Production and local dev keystores
2. ProGuard/R8 Configuration – Code minification and optimization
3. Signing Configuration – Dual-source signing (CI/CD + local dev)

Prerequisites

• Android project with Gradle
• JDK installed (for keytool command)
• Project uses Kotlin DSL (build.gradle.kts)

Process

This skill runs three sub-skills in order:

Step 1: Generate Keystores

Follow the skill at: ~/claude-devtools/skills/android-keystore-generation/SKILL.md

What it does:

• Creates production keystore (for CI/CD only)
• Creates local development keystore
• Generates KEYSTORE_INFO.txt with credentials
• Updates .gitignore

Verify before continuing:

ls keystores/*.jks
cat keystores/KEYSTORE_INFO.txt

Step 2: Configure ProGuard/R8

Follow the skill at: ~/claude-devtools/skills/android-proguard-setup/SKILL.md

What it does:

• Creates proguard-rules.pro with safe defaults
• Enables minification in build.gradle.kts
• Enables resource shrinking

Verify before continuing:

test -f app/proguard-rules.pro
grep "isMinifyEnabled = true" app/build.gradle.kts

Step 3: Configure Signing

Follow the skill at: ~/claude-devtools/skills/android-signing-config/SKILL.md

What it does:

• Adds signingConfigs to build.gradle.kts
• Creates gradle.properties.template
• Configures ~/.gradle/gradle.properties (with permission)
• Adds validation for missing signing config

Verify before continuing:

./gradlew assembleRelease
jarsigner -verify app/build/outputs/apk/release/app-release.apk

Final Verification (MANDATORY)

After all three skills complete, verify the complete setup:

# 1. Clean build
./gradlew clean

# 2. Build release APK
./gradlew assembleRelease

# 3. Verify APK exists
ls -lh app/build/outputs/apk/release/app-release.apk

# 4. Verify ProGuard mapping generated
ls -lh app/build/outputs/mapping/release/mapping.txt

# 5. Verify signing
jarsigner -verify -verbose -certs app/build/outputs/apk/release/app-release.apk

All checks must pass before marking this skill as complete.

Completion Criteria

Do NOT mark complete unless ALL are verified:

✅ Keystores generated and secured

• production-release.jks exists in keystores/
• local-dev-release.jks exists in keystores/
• KEYSTORE_INFO.txt created with passwords
• keystores/ added to .gitignore

✅ ProGuard configured

• proguard-rules.pro exists with safe defaults
• isMinifyEnabled = true in build.gradle.kts
• isShrinkResources = true in build.gradle.kts

✅ Signing configured

• signingConfigs.release exists in build.gradle.kts
• Release buildType uses signingConfig
• gradle.properties configured (local) OR environment variables set (CI)

✅ MANDATORY: Build verification

• ./gradlew assembleDebug succeeds
• ./gradlew assembleRelease succeeds
• app/build/outputs/apk/release/app-release.apk exists
• app/build/outputs/mapping/release/mapping.txt exists
• jarsigner -verify confirms APK is signed correctly

Summary Report

After completion, provide this summary:

✅ Android Release Build Setup Complete!

📦 Keystores Generated:
  Production: keystores/production-release.jks (CI/CD only)
  Local Dev: keystores/local-dev-release.jks (local testing)
  Credentials: keystores/KEYSTORE_INFO.txt

🔒 ProGuard/R8 Configuration:
  ✓ Minification enabled
  ✓ Resource shrinking enabled
  ✓ Safe default rules: app/proguard-rules.pro

⚙️  Build Configuration:
  ✓ Signing config added to app/build.gradle.kts
  ✓ Dual-source strategy (env vars + gradle.properties)
  ✓ Validation on release builds

📋 Next Steps:

  For Local Development:
    ./gradlew assembleRelease
    ./gradlew installRelease

  For CI/CD (GitHub Actions):
    Add GitHub Secrets (see KEYSTORE_INFO.txt):
      - SIGNING_KEY_STORE_BASE64
      - SIGNING_KEY_ALIAS
      - SIGNING_STORE_PASSWORD
      - SIGNING_KEY_PASSWORD

⚠️  CRITICAL REMINDERS:
  - NEVER commit keystores to git
  - NEVER use production keystore locally
  - ALWAYS back up production keystore securely
  - Loss of production keystore = cannot update app!

Integration with Other Skills

This skill is prerequisite for:

• android-e2e-testing-setup – Tests release builds
• android-release-validation – Validates signed APK/AAB
• android-playstore-publishing – Uses keystore for CI/CD workflow
• android-playstore-pipeline – Orchestrates full setup

Troubleshooting

If any skill fails:

1. Fix the specific issue in that skill
2. Re-run that skill until it completes
3. Continue with remaining skills
4. Run final verification

Common issues:

• Keystore generation fails → Install JDK
• ProGuard breaks build → Add keep rules
• Signing fails → Check gradle.properties paths