Android Release Build Setup

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