Android Setup

Android Environment Setup

Goal

Produce a working Android development environment where the user can compile, install, and debug Android apps entirely from the command line. Success = adb version works, sdkmanager --list works, and ./gradlew assembleDebug compiles a project.

Dependencies

• Tools: Bash (installation commands, PATH config), Read (check existing configs), Write (update shell profiles)
• System requirements: Java 17+ (OpenJDK), ~5GB disk space for SDK
• Python projects (Buildozer/Kivy): Will create a venv — NEVER use --break-system-packages

Context

• Detect OS first (Linux, macOS, Windows/WSL) — installation commands differ significantly
• Check for existing installations before installing anything
• Read user's shell profile (~/.bashrc, ~/.zshrc) to set environment variables

Process

Step 1: Detect Environment

uname -s                    # OS detection
java --version 2>/dev/null  # Java check
adb version 2>/dev/null     # Existing ADB check
echo $ANDROID_HOME          # Existing SDK check

Report what's found and what's missing.

Step 2: Install Java (if missing)

Set JAVA_HOME in shell profile.

Step 3: Install Android SDK Command-Line Tools

# Download latest cmdline-tools
mkdir -p $HOME/android-sdk/cmdline-tools
# Download from https://developer.android.com/studio#command-line-tools-only
# Unzip to $HOME/android-sdk/cmdline-tools/latest/

Set environment variables in shell profile:

export ANDROID_HOME=$HOME/android-sdk
export PATH=$ANDROID_HOME/cmdline-tools/latest/bin:$ANDROID_HOME/platform-tools:$PATH

Step 4: Install Required SDK Packages

sdkmanager --install "platform-tools" "build-tools;34.0.0" "platforms;android-34"
yes | sdkmanager --licenses  # Accept all licenses

CHECKPOINT: Show the user what was installed and the environment variables set. Ask: "SDK installed. Want me to also set up an emulator, or will you use a physical device via USB?"

Step 5: Emulator Setup (if requested)

sdkmanager --install "system-images;android-34;google_apis;x86_64" "emulator"
avdmanager create avd -n dev_phone -k "system-images;android-34;google_apis;x86_64"

Step 6: Python/Buildozer Setup (if requested)

python3 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
pip install buildozer kivy
buildozer init

NEVER use --break-system-packages. Always venv.

Step 7: Verify

Run verification checks:

java --version
adb version
sdkmanager --list | head -20
./gradlew --version  # if in a project

CHECKPOINT: Present verification results. Confirm everything works before finishing.

Output

• Environment variables set in shell profile (persists across sessions)
• SDK installed at $ANDROID_HOME
• Verification report printed to user
• No files written to the project itself (system-level setup only)

Common Issues