Skills
skills/sharex/xerahs/build-android

build-android

SKILL.md

You are an expert Android build and deploy specialist for XerahS mobile (Kotlin/Mobile.Kt, Avalonia, and MAUI).

Follow these instructions when building or deploying Android apps. Never let a build wait more than 5 minutes without concluding something is wrong (locks, stuck process, or wrong command).

5-minute build rule (critical)

Do not wait more than 5 minutes for an Android build to complete. A normal single-node Android build finishes in about 2–5 minutes. If the build has not completed within 5 minutes:

  1. Treat it as a failure — something else is wrong.
  2. Stop the build (cancel or let the command timeout).
  3. Fix the cause before retrying:
    • Lingering processes: A previous dotnet build may be holding the APK or DLLs. Find and stop the process (see "Pre-build: release locks" below).
    • Clean failing: If dotnet clean fails with "file in use", the lock is often the APK or a DLL; the error message names the process (e.g. ".NET Host (PID)").
    • Parallelism: Use -m:1 so only one project builds at a time and ShareX.ImageEditor/plugin DLLs are not raced.

Do not increase the timeout to 10+ minutes. Fix locks and parallelism instead.

Kotlin (src/mobile/android): prerequisites and first-build lessons

The Kotlin app uses Gradle (not dotnet). The project root is src/mobile/android (where settings.gradle.kts and gradlew.bat live).

1. JAVA_HOME is required

First build often fails with: JAVA_HOME is not set and no 'java' command could be found in your PATH.

  • Gradle needs a JDK. On Windows, adb and java are often not in PATH; the IDE uses the embedded JBR.
  • Fix: Set JAVA_HOME to the JDK used by Android Studio before running Gradle, then run the build in the same process (e.g. one PowerShell command that sets env and invokes gradlew):
$env:JAVA_HOME = "C:\Program Files\Android\Android Studio\jbr"
cd "src\mobile\android"
.\gradlew.bat assembleDebug
  • If the repo is under a path with spaces (e.g. ShareX Team\XerahS), use quoted paths and ensure cd is to the Kotlin project root.

2. Compose KeyboardOptions: correct import and dependency

Symptom: Unresolved reference: KeyboardOptions when compiling a module that uses KeyboardOptions in a Compose TextField/OutlinedTextField.

  • Wrong: import androidx.compose.ui.text.input.KeyboardOptions — that package does not expose KeyboardOptions in the way the compiler resolves for the dependency set in use.

  • Right: import androidx.compose.foundation.text.KeyboardOptions. KeyboardCapitalization stays androidx.compose.ui.text.input.KeyboardCapitalization; KeyboardType is androidx.compose.ui.text.input.KeyboardType.

  • Module dependency: The module that uses KeyboardOptions (e.g. feature:settings) must depend on Compose Foundation, or the build will still fail with "Unresolved reference: KeyboardOptions". In that module’s build.gradle.kts:

implementation(libs.compose.foundation)
  • URL / no auto-capitalize: For URL or domain fields, use KeyboardType.Uri together with KeyboardCapitalization.None so the soft keyboard does not auto-capitalize; some IMEs ignore capitalization when the type is already Uri.

3. adb not in PATH

Symptom: The term 'adb' is not recognized when running install or logcat from a script or terminal.

  • Use the full path to adb, e.g. $env:LOCALAPPDATA\Android\Sdk\platform-tools\adb.exe, or set ANDROID_HOME / PATH so that adb is found. The build skill assumes adb is invoked via full path when PATH is not configured.

4. Kotlin build and deploy (summary)

Step Command / path
Project root src\mobile\android
Build Set JAVA_HOME then .\gradlew.bat assembleDebug
APK app\build\outputs\apk\debug\app-debug.apk
Install adb install -r <path-to-app-debug.apk>

Pre-build: release locks

File locks are the main cause of Android build failures. Before building, ensure no previous build is still running and clean can run.

1. Identify what is locked

  • Clean fails with The process cannot access the file '...' because it is being used by another process. The message often says which process (e.g. .NET Host (27788) or VBCSCompiler).
  • Build fails with CompileAvaloniaXamlTask / Cannot open '...ShareX.ImageEditor.dll' for writing or ...XerahS.AmazonS3.Plugin.dll ... being used by another process — usually parallel MSBuild racing on the same output.
  • Build fails with XA0142 / llvm-objcopy.EXE: error: permission denied or **XAWAS7024: The file is locked by: ".NET Host (PID)"** on paths like obj\Debug\net10.0-android\android-arm64\wrapped\lib_*.dll.so` — a previous build’s .NET Host is still holding wrapped assembly outputs. Stop that PID, then clean and rebuild.

2. Stop the process holding the lock

If the error names a PID (e.g. 27788):

Stop-Process -Id 27788 -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
Start-Sleep -Seconds 2

If you see many dotnet processes and a recent build was run, consider stopping only the ones that are build workers (e.g. those that have been running for a long time). Avoid killing the IDE’s dotnet (e.g. OmniSharp) if possible; closing other terminals/builds first is safer.

3. Use single-node build to avoid races (required)

NEVER run two Android (or solution) builds at the same time. ShareX.ImageEditor and the AmazonS3 plugin share outputs that the Avalonia XAML task and MSBuild copy; parallel MSBuild nodes race on the same DLLs and Android wrapped .so files and cause lock errors. That is why the Android build feels slow: we must use -m:1 (single node), so the build runs sequentially with no parallelism.

  • MAUI: The script build-and-deploy-android-maui.ps1 already uses -m:1. Do not remove it.
  • Avalonia: The script build-and-deploy-android-ava.ps1 uses -m:1 by default. Do not remove it.

Example:

dotnet build $projectPath -f net10.0-android -c Debug -m:1

4. Clean after releasing locks

After stopping the locking process:

dotnet clean "src\mobile-experimental\XerahS.Mobile.Maui\XerahS.Mobile.Maui.csproj" -f net10.0-android -c Debug -v minimal
# For Avalonia:
dotnet clean "src\mobile-experimental\XerahS.Mobile.Ava\XerahS.Mobile.Ava.csproj" -f net10.0-android -c Debug -v minimal

If clean still fails, manually remove obj folders that are locked (e.g. ShareX.ImageEditor\src\ShareX.ImageEditor\obj, src\desktop\plugins\AmazonS3.Plugin\obj, src\mobile-experimental\XerahS.Mobile.Ava\obj\Debug\net10.0-android, or the MAUI obj\Debug\net10.0-android if the APK is locked).

Cold-boot emulator (optional)

To start an Android emulator with a cold boot (no snapshot load) before building/deploying:

  1. List AVDs: & "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Android\Sdk\emulator\emulator.exe" -list-avds
  2. Start emulator: Start-Process -FilePath $emulator -ArgumentList "-avd","<AVD_NAME>","-no-snapshot-load" -WindowStyle Normal
  3. Wait for device: Poll until adb devices shows a line ending with device (e.g. up to 120 s). The build script will fail with "No emulator/device attached" if no device is present when it runs the install step.
  4. Then run the build-and-deploy script. If the emulator is closed or disconnects during the 2–5 minute build, run adb devices again and restart the emulator if needed before re-running only the deploy (manual install/launch below).

MAUI-specific: EmbedAssembliesIntoApk

When the MAUI app is installed via adb install (not via Visual Studio deploy), the APK must contain the .NET assemblies. By default, Debug uses Fast Deployment, which omits assemblies from the APK and pushes them via the IDE; so a standalone adb install -r results in "No assemblies found" and the app crashes after the splash.

  • Fix: In XerahS.Mobile.Maui.csproj, set EmbedAssembliesIntoApk to true for Android (already done). Then rebuild; the APK will be larger and work with adb install.
  • Trade-off: Build is slightly slower; no change to behavior once embedded.

MAUI white screen / init

If the MAUI app shows a white screen after the logo (similar to the old Avalonia "stuck" issue):

  • Cause: The loading page has not painted before heavy init runs (or with EmbedAssembliesIntoApk, first frame is slower). Starting init too soon leaves the user seeing a blank screen.
  • Fix: In MainActivity.cs, defer calling InitializeCoreAsync by ~400 ms (e.g. Task.Run + Task.Delay(400) + MainThread.BeginInvokeOnMainThread). Do not call it immediately in OnCreate. See developers/lessons-learnt/android_avalonia_init_fix.md (MAUI section).

Avalonia-specific: host Content

Avalonia Android had a bug where parent.Content = null in MainActivity cleared the host of MainView, so the whole UI disappeared even though init and navigation completed. Do not set the host’s Content to null. See developers/lessons-learnt/android_avalonia_init_fix.md.

Build and deploy commands

Kotlin (src/mobile/android)

Set JAVA_HOME and build from the Kotlin project root (see "Kotlin: prerequisites and first-build lessons" above). Then install with adb (full path if adb is not in PATH).

$env:JAVA_HOME = "C:\Program Files\Android\Android Studio\jbr"
cd "src\mobile\android"   # or full path, e.g. C:\...\XerahS\src\mobile\android
.\gradlew.bat assembleDebug

Install and optionally launch:

$adb = "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Android\Sdk\platform-tools\adb.exe"
& $adb install -r "src\mobile\android\app\build\outputs\apk\debug\app-debug.apk"
& $adb shell monkey -p com.getsharex.xerahs.mobile -c android.intent.category.LAUNCHER 1

If the first build fails with JAVA_HOME or KeyboardOptions, apply the fixes in the Kotlin section above before retrying.

MAUI (recommended: use script)

.\build\android\build-and-deploy-android-maui.ps1
# If you need a clean first (e.g. after fixing locks):
.\build\android\build-and-deploy-android-maui.ps1 -Clean
  • Script uses -m:1 and runs clean (if -Clean), build, then adb install and launch.
  • Timeout: Run with a 5-minute cap. If the build does not finish in 5 minutes, stop and fix locks/processes.

Avalonia

.\build\android\build-and-deploy-android-ava.ps1
.\build\android\build-and-deploy-android-ava.ps1 -Clean

The Avalonia script always uses -m:1 to avoid file locks. Ensure an emulator or device is attached (adb devices) before running; the script checks for a device only at deploy time, so if the emulator was closed during the build, start it again and run manual install/launch below.

Manual install and launch (when APK already exists)

Use when the APK is already built but deploy failed (e.g. no device at script run time), or to re-launch without rebuilding. Set $adb from ANDROID_HOME or %LOCALAPPDATA%\Android\Sdk if needed.

MAUI:

$adb = "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Android\Sdk\platform-tools\adb.exe"
& $adb install -r "src\mobile-experimental\XerahS.Mobile.Maui\bin\Debug\net10.0-android\com.getsharex.xerahs-Signed.apk"
& $adb shell monkey -p com.getsharex.xerahs -c android.intent.category.LAUNCHER 1

Avalonia:

$apk = (Get-ChildItem "src\mobile-experimental\XerahS.Mobile.Ava\bin\Debug\net10.0-android\*.apk" | Select-Object -First 1).FullName
& $adb install -r $apk
& $adb shell monkey -p com.getsharex.xerahs -c android.intent.category.LAUNCHER 1

Success criteria

  • Build completes in under 5 minutes (typically 2–3 min with -m:1 and no locks for .NET; Kotlin Gradle builds often 1–2 min once JAVA_HOME is set).
  • No "file in use", XA0142/XAWAS7024, or CompileAvaloniaXamlTask copy errors.
  • A device or emulator is present when the script runs the install step (adb devices); otherwise use manual install/launch after starting the emulator.
  • Kotlin: JAVA_HOME set; no "Unresolved reference: KeyboardOptions" (use foundation.text.KeyboardOptions and add compose.foundation to the module); APK installs via adb install -r and app runs.
  • MAUI: APK installs via adb install -r and app runs past the loading screen (no white screen, no "No assemblies found" crash).
  • Avalonia: APK installs and app shows loading then main UI (no blank screen from host Content cleared).

References

  • developers/lessons-learnt/android_avalonia_init_fix.md — Avalonia host-Content bug, MAUI defer-init and white screen
  • build/android/README.md — Prerequisites, env (JAVA_HOME, Android SDK)
  • build/android/build-and-deploy-android-maui.ps1 — MAUI build/deploy script (uses -m:1)
  • build/android/build-and-deploy-android-ava.ps1 — Avalonia build/deploy script (uses -m:1)
  • .ai/skills/build-android/SKILL.md — This skill; Kotlin JAVA_HOME, Compose KeyboardOptions/foundation, adb path
  • .ai/skills/build-linux-binary/SKILL.md — Same /m:1 and "never run two builds" guidance for Linux
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